My Strength and My Weakness
by smm855
Summary: When Adrien gets invited to eat with Marinette and her family, he gets to see how a normal family acts. Will this bring him closer to her, or will his envy drive a wedge between them? Takes place directly after Kung Food.
1. Chapter One: Dinner for Four

A/N: So it's been literally years since I've written fan ficiton...like almost a decade. So please forgive me if this is awful, but I've been captured by the fandom and the story won't leave me alone. My husband has a family similar to Adrien's so I couldn't help but relate.

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Adrien smiled at Marinette and her Uncle Cheng as they stood for photographs. He was happy to be able to help his friend. The day was even better because he was able to spend it with Ladybug. After the photographers were finished, and many 'thank you's were said, the three piled into Adrien's car. The back seat was a bit cramped, but at least Chef Cheng didn't sit in the middle this time. In the middle for this ride was Marinette. She blushed furiously as they hit a bump in the road and she fell toward Adrien's chest. "Sorry!" she piped.

"It's ok" Adrien said. As she sat back upright Adrien caught the smell of vanilla sugar. _It must be nice living in a bakery_ he thought. Chef Cheng didn't seem to notice either of them. He was busy staring dreamily out of the car window, holding tightly to his Top Chef trophy. Within a few minutes they were back at Marinette's house.

They all piled out the back of the car and walked into the back of the Bakery. "Mom! Papa! We're home! Uncle won!" Marinette shouted. Her parents came bustling from through the door that lead to the Bakery.

"That is terrific Uncle Cheng!" Marinetti's mother said giving her uncle a warm hug around his belly.

"Did you doubt him?" Marinetti's father asked with a smile. He clapped Uncle Cheng on the shoulder, "I knew no one else stood a chance!" The three Dupain-Chengs wrapped the large chef in a group hug. Adrien watched the scene from afar, a pang of grief shooting through his chest. _I wish my family was like this_ , he thought. He shivered at thinking about going back to his lonely room after seeing a display like this. Sabine Cheng happened to glance up at this time and saw Adrien's pained face.

"Adrien!" Sabine said, breaking the hug and walking toward him. "Why didn't you tell me that you could speak Mandarin the last time you were here?! Thank you so much for helping out my little Mari."

Adrien blushed, "Well it was really no trouble! I hardly ever get to use my Mandarin anyway so it's always nice to have a chance to talk to a native speaker."

Sabine grinned brightly, "Well I would love to have someone around to speak with, I've tried to get Marinette to pick it up, but she doesn't seem to have much interest in learning. You should come to dinner tomorrow night!"

"Oh!" Adrien said surprised, "I don't know if I could impose of you like that…"

"Nonsense!" Tom Cheng piped in. "Food is the only appropriate way to really thank someone and we definitely owe you a thank you!"

"Unfortunately for all of us, Uncle will be flying out in the morning so he won't be able to cook dinner-" Sabine started

"But!" Tom interrupted, "The amazing cooking skills run in the family. Sabine's dumplings are out of the park. So what do you say?"

Adrien smiled warmly, "What time is dinner?"

"Dinner starts at 8. I hope that isn't too late for you, but we don't close the bakery until 6 and it takes a bit of clean up before we're ready to cook dinner." Sabine stated.

"Eight is perfect" Adrien said as he headed for the door. "Thank you for the invitation" he said as he opened the door. Before closing it, he looked behind him. "I'll see you tomorrow Marinette!"

During this entire exchange Marinette's eyes grew larger and larger. Her parents had invited Adrien to dinner! Adrien! Perfect amazing beautiful Adrien! She could hardly believe it. On top of all of it, he's specifically said good bye to her! She felt ready to faint. This could definitely be the start of something good.


	2. Chapter Two: Helpful

The day couldn't go fast enough for Marinette. It was a Sunday so the bakery was pretty busy, but every time she looked at the clock it felt like the hand had barely moved. Finally, it was almost time to close. "5:45" she thought, at 6 I'll leave mom and dad to clean up the shop and I can go upstairs and get ready to see Adrien!" She'd agonized most of the night over what to wear. She needed something that said 'I'm cute, but I'm not trying to impress you..I'm just naturally adorable' She'd debated whether a skirt seemed too formal…she didn't usually wear them to school, but she didn't want Adrien to suspect that she was dressing up just for him! That would completely give away her feelings. Eventually she'd decided on a cute pair of black high waisted shorts that showed off her long legs and cute pink top with ruffles. She couldn't wait to get a shower and change, all the running around in the bakery had made her sweaty and she had a fine flour coating all over her hands and pants. "5:50"…just a few more minutes she thought as she stared at the clock. The bell above the door chimed and she dragged her eyes off the clock.

"Adrien!" she squeaked. What's he doing here?! Marinette screamed in her head.

"Hey Marinette," he responded, "I hope you don't mind that I'm early." He saw that she'd been working in the shop today. Marinetti's pants had splotches of flour on them and she also seemed to have a little in her hair. Adrien was bombarded with sweet smells the closer he came to the counter. "Your mom said that you guys closed the shop at 6 and then you had to clean up. I thought I could help clean since you're being so nice as to have me over for dinner."

Marinette's brain evacuated her skull cavity, "You…up..um-c-ccleaning- early bread?"

Adrien looked at her confused, "Is that ok? If it's not I guess I can leave for a few hours…?"

Sabine walked into the front of the bakery at just that moment. "Adrien! You're early."

"Yeah, I thought I could help close the bakery and clean up. If that's ok? Marinette-"

Sabine turned her daughter toward the house door and gave her a gentle push, "Marinette was just about to go get a quick shower while I finish closing up, weren't you dear?" Marinette nodded dumbly at her mother and after a quick glance in Adrien's direction she went into the house to grab a shower.

As Marinette left Sabine went to the register and and pulled out the cash drawer. "Adrien dear, do you think you could lock the door and flip the sign to closed for me?"

"Yes ma'am!" Adrien chirped as he did as she'd asked. He followed her into the kitchen where she set down the drawer and started counting. Adrien waved awkwardly to Marinette's dad who was busy washing the dishes.

"Would you like any help Mr. Dupain-Cheng?" He asked as he sidled over to the sink.

"Call me Tom!" the large man said, "and I would never turn down help with dishes." He handed Adrien a large drying towel and passed him a wet bowl. Among the clinking dishes and Marinette's mother quietly counting money, Adrien sighed contently; he liked being helpful.

Marinette on the other hand was feeling frazzled. She couldn't believe he came THREE HOURS early! She'd expected to have that time to primp and now she was going to have to rush. She didn't want Adrien to think she was one of those girls that spent hours on her appearance. She quickly washed her hair and body. She turned off the water only to remember she needed to shave her legs! Marinette quickly turned the water back on, only to get hit face first with cold water. She nearly slipped as she turned the water knob farther toward the heat setting. Lathering her legs she tried to shave quickly…which is never a good idea. "Ouch!" she cried as she felt the blade nick her knee. Blood mixed with the lather and burned the wound. Marinette let out a frustrated sigh.

After her shower she threw a bandaid on her knee and dried her hair. She jumped into the outfit she'd planned on wearing and gave herself a quick glance in the mirror. The bandaid ruined the effect a bit, but she decided Adrien wouldn't probably look that closely. Marinette snapped her hair into a pair of pig tails and topped her lips with some pink lip gloss. Anxiety coursed through her stomach. Adrien was in her house! She glanced around the room realizing that her posters and pictures of him were still up. With Ladybug speed she pulled them down and stashed them in a drawer. She was ready…at least she hoped she was. After that first meeting, she wasn't sure the evening was off to the best start but hopefully she could get her tongue under control. This was her chance to show him her true colors.

Marinette came down the stairs to find a very strange scene. Tom and Adrien had moved on to mopping the floors. Of course Tom, being the big kid that he was, had challenged Adrien to a game of mop hockey. Adrien was currently winning. Tom panted as Adrien scored another point with a sponge. "You know, for a rich kid you're pretty good with a mop"

Adrien smiled widely. "Thanks Mr. Dupain-Cheng" after seeing Marinette's dad raise an eyebrow, he corrected himself "I mean Tom." Sabine smiled at him. Thanks to Adrien helping close the shop had only taken 45 minutes tonight. "Maybe we should look into hiring you at the shop," Sabine suggested, only half kidding.

Adrien straightened up and put his mop back in the bucket. "If it meant I could come over everyday then maybe I'd take you up on the offer. You two are a lot more fun than my dad." His expression darkened slightly, but it was quickly replaced when he heard someone behind him clearing their throat. He turned and Marinette was standing in the doorway. She looked lovely. Adrien felt his eyes widen, did Marinette usually look like this? Her legs seemed to go on forever and the ruffles on her shirt gave her an innocent look. "You look nice" he managed to mumble. Marinette immediately blushed, "You nice too looking!". God I'm an idiot she mentally scolded herself. Sabine noticed the growing embarrassment of her daughter and quickly jumped in. "Why don't the two of you go in the living room? I'm going to start the dumplings."


	3. Chapter Three: Putting on the Moves

Sabine practically pushed the two teenagers out of the kitchen. Marinette and Adrien gave each other a sidelong glance. "So…" Adrien started, "are they always like that?"

Marinette raised an eyebrow, "Like what?"

"I mean, do your parents always play mop hockey and have a race to get the dishes done?"

Marinette had never really thought about it before, "Yeah I guess so. Dad insists on making a game out of just about anything. Though my mom is a lot better at mop hockey than I am."

"That's really cool that they still hang out with each other." Adrien said

Marinette raised an eyebrow, "Why wouldn't they? They're partners."

"Partners…like Ladybug and Cat Noir?" Adrien said smiling to himself. "Meant to be."

"As if." Marinette said before she could stop herself.

Adrien gave her an incredulous look, "You don't think Ladybug and Cat Noir are a perfect pair? They're made for each other."

"They might both be superheroes, but I don't see how that makes them a pair"

"Obviously" Adrien explained, "the only person good enough for someone as amazing as Ladybug would be Cat Noir."

Marinette let out a giggle, "I didn't expect you to be such a LadyNoir shipper"

"LadyNoir Shipper?"

"It's what Alya calls people that like to think that LADYbug and Cat NOIR should be in a relationSHIP." Marinette explained.

"Interesting, I guess I am then." Adrien said "So what do you want to do?"

Marinette felt the anxiety rise in her chest but she forced it down. "Well it'll take about an hour for mom to make dumplings…we could watch a show? Or we could play Ultimate Mega Strike III?"

"I think we know how Mega Strike will turn out, Champ" Adrien responded, remembering her quick defeat of the rival school at the tournament.

"That's not true" Marinette said. "Maybe you'll pick up a few tricks from me. The only way to get better is to practice right?"

"So my fencing teacher keeps saying"

"Why would he tell you that? You're amazing." Marinette said the words before she realized they were coming out of her mouth. She couldn't help but blush.

Adrien didn't notice the pink rising in her cheeks. "Adrien" he imitated his teacher "the only way to get better is to practice, even masters must practice their art." He stopped imitating his teacher, "I guess Mega Strike is the winner."

The two teenagers sat down and set up the video game. After moments Marinette was quickly kicking Adrien's butt. "How did you do that spin move at the end?!" He asked.

"Let me show you," She said as the characters jumped on the screen again. She sat a little closer to him to show her moves on the controller. "First you have to get into position behind the opponent and hit 'A', once the enemy tries to throw a punch to counter, you toggle left, right and hit 'B' twice to jump and spin. Now you try it."

It took Adrien a few tries, but he eventually caught on and was able to land the move on Marinette's character. "I did it!" He exclaimed happily. He turned to Marinette with his fist out toward her for a bump…he was surprised that her hand was already there to return the bump. "Pound it!" She said.

Both of the teenagers laughed nervously, neither had meant to do something that was so signature for Ladybug and Cat Noir. Marinette hoped Adrien assumed it was because of their earlier conversation about the heroes. Adrien was hoping Marinette thought the same. Adrien coughed nervously and focused back on the game. After several games Adrien was starting to get better. Marinette had intentionally let him land a few punches to let him practice the new moves, but she soon found herself actually having to really defend herself from his attacks. Adrien was on the edge of winning when Sabine called them from dinner. With Adrien distracted, Marinette landed a killing blow on his robot. "So close!" Adrien sighed. "I'm going to catch you eventually" he said, some of Cat Noir's charm sneaking into his voice. In Marinette's chest, her heart did a flip flop.


	4. Chapter Four: Inappropriate Touching

The dining room smelled amazing. Adrien hadn't realized how hungry he was until he smelled the dumplings. Sabine and Tom were putting the final touches on the table and even lit candles. "Thank you so much Mr. and Mrs. Dupain-Cheng, it was really nice of you to let me have dinner here." Adrien said, bowing deeply before his hosts.

"The pleasure is all ours, Adrien" Sabine said smiling. "Really Marinette, I don't know why you don't have this nice young man over more often."

Sabine motioned for everyone to sit. Adrien sat at one end and Tom at the other. Sabine sat to Adrien's left and Marinette sat in the chair to his left. "It's not Marinette's fault." Adrien claimed, "I have a really tight schedule. Pretty much from 7AM to 7PM I'm doing something. Depending on the day it could fencing practice, Mandarin lessons, piano lessons, a photo shoot, a runway show—"

"Goodness," Sabine said, "You _are_ busy! How do you keep up with it all?"

"I have a personal assistant" he explained, "My father hired Natalie when I started modeling to keep my schedule."

"Do you like that?" Tom asked.

"Like what? Natalie?" Adrien asked, confused.

"Modeling." Tom answered, "Is that what you're interested in doing for a living?"

"Oh no! I mean, I don't hate it, don't get me wrong.."Adrien scratched the back of his neck bashfully, "I just don't think it's something I'd want to do forever. I mostly do it because it makes my dad happy."

"What would you like to do then?" Marinette found herself saying.

Adrien turned his attention to her. Marinetti's eyes glistened in the candlelight…' _Her eyes are so beautiful_ ,' he thought. It was something he'd noticed the first day in class. With those eyes focused on him, it actually took a moment for him to remember what he was saying. "I'm not sure really…though after watching Siefu Cheng cook, I wonder if that might be a fun career."

Sabine and Tom perked up. "Baking isn't quite the same as cooking, but if you'd ever like to give it a try I'd love to show you the ropes," Tom said.

"Really?!" Adrien asked. Marinetti's parents were so nice, he could barely believe it. "I think I'd like that."

"Excellent!" Tom said, "We'll set up a time for you to come bake!" Tom leaned toward Marinette, "You should marry this boy, my dear. I approve!"

Marinette's face went scarlet. " _Dad!_ " she said embarrassed. She risked a glance at Adrien who was laughing.

"I think we'd be a bit too young for that!" Adrien said. Marinette exhaled…he wasn't appalled by the idea, but he didn't exactly jump at it either…

"This is really nice," Adrien said a genuine smile on his face. The mood of the room was so comfortable and warm. It was nothing like his Spartan dining room at home. Sabine started to serve the dumplings to everyone. "Do you all do this every night?"

"Do what, dumplings?" Marinette questioned. What if he thinks we're doing something weird?!

"Have dinner together like this." Adrien said gesturing to the three of them.

"Of course we do. Don't you eat with your family most nights?" Sabine asked him.

Adrien poked at his dumplings, "Well my dad is really busy…he's always working. Internationally renown fashion designer and all."

"But I'm sure your mother…" Sabine started as she saw her daughter shaking her head vigorously in attempts to warn her of the potential landmine.

"My mother is…gone." Adrien explained. "I usually end up eating by myself. Natalie could eat with me, but father forbids it. He says that ' _the help shouldn't get too friendly_ '" Adrien was still staring at his food when he felt a hand on his. He looked up to see Marinette's mother giving him a pained expression. "Oh sweetie…." she mumbled.

Her hand was warm, but he pulled his hand away from her, and forced a smile "It's fine! Really! I mean I eat some of the best food. I've got a personal chef."

Sabine suddenly got up and wrapped her arms around his neck pushing his head into her chest. "You never have to eat alone if you don't want to! You can come here and eat with us _every night of the week if you want_!" Adrien head smooshed into Sabine's chest and he eyed Marinette from between her mother's arms. Marinette shrugged at him. Adrien gently pulled away, "I appreciate the offer Mrs. Dupain-Cheng—"

"Sabine." she said, "Or you can call me Mom-"

"Um, Sabine, but I really couldn't impose on your family time." Adrien said blushing from the unexpected contact.

Sabine insisted, "It would be no imposition at all!" She sat back in her chair, "I can tell you that its more fun to cook for more people. And you seem to fit right in with us."

Tom raised his glass, "Yes! You're practically a Dupain-Cheng."

Adrien and Marinette blushed furiously. Marinette couldn't believe how nosy her parents were being and Adrien couldn't believe these people would just invite him into their lives like this. "Um, excuse me for a moment…"

He walked his way to their bathroom and could barely keep himself composed. Tears threatened his eyes as he looked at himself in the mirror. He'd never had strangers so unconditionally accept him before. Even Nino had been a little put off at first. Most people are too intimidated by his looks or his fame to talk to him like he's a normal person. Even his own father had never taken this much interest in him. His own father had never even asked him what _he_ wanted to do before. He'd always known that his family was different, but he'd never realized _how_ different until tonight. Adrien took a few deep breaths and exited the restroom.

Meanwhile in the dining room, Marinette was having a freak out. "Mom! What were you _thinking_?! You can't just go around hugging people!"

Sabine looked taken aback, "Didn't you see his face dear?! He looked like someone ran over his cat! I couldn't just leave him alone."

"Well inviting him over is fine, but you can't just invade people's personal space like that! Adrien probably thinks I come from a crazy family that doesn't respect personal boundaries!"

"Now, now, Marinette," Tom said putting a hand on his daughter's shoulder, "I'm sure you're overreacting. He probably just needed to go to the bathroom. It'll be all right."

Adrien poked his head around the corner around that time, "So what did I miss?"


	5. Chapter Five: Career Choices

"You didn't miss a thing, Adrien" Sabine insisted, "Though if you don't dig into your dumplings they're going to get cold, and no one likes a cold dumpling"

"Speak for yourself," Tom smiled stuffing a dumpling into his mouth, "I like your dumplings any way they come. Even cold."

Adrien smiled at the parental flirting, it was sweet. Then he tasted the dumplings and realized that it wasn't just flirting…these really were the best dumplings he'd ever had and he would undoubtedly eat them cold…if there were any left over.

Marinette watched as Adrien chewed the dumplings thoughtfully, "So what do you think?" she asked cautiously.

"des are da besf dumfings I've eber ad" he mumbled around his food. "These are seriously amazing Sabine." he said as he stuffed two more dumplings in his mouth. "You might be a better cook than Siefu Cheng"

Sabine blushed, "Well it does run in the family!"

Adrien looked over to Marinette, "Are you secretly an amazing cook too?"

Marinette blushed as well. Adrien smiled, 'she looked so cute when she was embarrassed'. "I'm better at frosting cakes and doing designs than cooking."

"I'd love to see one of your cakes." Adrien said, "You're such a talented designer. I bet your cakes are amazing."

She could barely look at Adrien she was so flustered. _Did he know how easily a nice word from him could make her head spin?_ She took a glance in his direction. He was staring at her intently, his eyes shining in the dim light.

Dinner continued on, and they jumped from topic to topic. "Adrien, how did you end up taking lessons in Mandarin?" Sabine asked.

"Mom!" Marinette interrupted, "You're treating Adrien like he's a job interview. You should ask so many questions."

Adrien looked at Marinette surprised, "I don't mind Marinette. It's actually kind nice to have someone to talk to at dinner." He turned his attention back to Sabine, "Most of the things I do are because my dad has signed me up for them. I think he's having me learn Mandarin because he purchases a lot of his fabrics from China. Chinese silk has some of the best quality in the world. I think he expects me to eventually take over for him, and to do that I'll need to know Mandarin."

"I thought you said you might be interested in cooking?" Tom asked

"Well, my father might think I'm going to take over for him, but I honestly can't ever imagine my father relinquishing his role in the company. He's too passionate about work. Natalie says that they could close him in his coffin and he would still show up to work the next morning. In the meantime I'll figure out what I want to do myself." He turned to Marinette, "Are you going to take over the bakery for your parents?"

"Oh!" She squeaked, "I don't think baking is really for me. I'd really like to go into fashion design."

"You'd be a great designer." Adrien said. His genuine kindness made Marinette's heart flutter. Tom and Sabine traded smug looks.

Tom started in, "Mari is a great designer, did she tell you that she was handpicked by Jagged Stone to design his album cover?"

"And" Sabine added, "She designs and sews most of her own clothes!"

"Mooom," she pleaded, "you're embarrassing me!"

"What's there to be embarrassed about?" He asked the dark hair girl. "Your outfit is cute, and my dad loved the hat you designed for my photoshoot. You are really talented."

Dinner finished without a hitch and Marinette couldn't believe how well the night had been going. With the exception of her mother's overly friendly gesture and her dad trying to marry her off to the love of her life, she was willing to deem this night a success.

Adrien offered to help with the dishes, but Marinette's parents insisted that he'd done enough to help for the day. As the family lead him to the front door, Adrien thanked them again for the meal. "It really was the best dumplings I've ever had."

Marinette's mother smiled, "You can always taste when something has been made with love."

Adrien put his hand out to Mr. Dupain-Cheng, "It was a pleasure sir."

Tom shook the outstretched hand and pulled the boy into a hug. "You'll have to come again soon. We had a great time getting to know you." Tom released him from the embrace, "Marinette doesn't bring home guests terribly often."

Adrien smiled at the large man and turned to Sabine. "Now you come over here anytime you want." Adrien looked at the petit woman…her smile was so warm and he couldn't help but remember her warmth as she comforted him earlier. After Tom hugged him, he couldn't help but think that maybe hugging was something that was ok in this family. Before the incident with Simon Says, he couldn't remember the last time his father had hugged him.

Unexpectedly, Adrien pulled the little Chinese woman into a hug. In Madarin, he said, "Thank you". Sabine responded in Mandarin, "You're welcome." They broke the hug and Adrien turned to Marinette. After the hugs with her parents…did he hug her? Both teenagers looked at each other awkwardly. Adrien extended his hand as if to shake at the same time that Marinette opened her arms for a hug. Both seeing the opposite reaction, reversed the movements. Marinette quickly threw her hand out for a shake as Adrien moved forward to give her a hug. It made for a very awkward moment as Adrien wrapped his arms around Marinette, who arms were squished by her sides. He quickly let go and gave a little embarrassed nod. Suddenly he was out the door and gone. Marinette thought she would faint…Adrien had HUGGED HER!

Marinette could hardly sleep. Adrien had hugged her! It was so amazing. He'd even said she looked cute in her outfit! He'd complimented her as a designer! She'd ask Tikki to pinch her, but she'd learned from the last time that the kwami was occasionally too literal. This was too perfect! She'd actually been able to talk to him most of the night without her mouth completely locking up on her. Maybe she was making progress! Tomorrow was going to be a great day.


	6. Chapter Six: Good Morning

Had to resubmit this chapter, it was displaying weird.

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Marinette's alarm blared loudly at 7AM. She felt like she'd hardly slept at all. Of course she hadn't fallen asleep until almost 3:00AM so she hadn't really slept that much. She rolled out of bed and pulled on her house coat. With half lidded eyes she climbed down the stairs of her attic room. Her hair stuck out at weird angles. She couldn't wait for breakfast. "Good morning!" a chipper voice said.

"Morning Adrien" Marinette said sleepily. Wait?! "ADRIEN?!" She turned to see her crush standing in her kitchen holding a glass of milk and a croissant.

"Yes?" He asked.

Marinette realized that she was standing in her pajamas in front of the most gorgeous guy in the world. She quickly wrapped her house coat closed. "What—why—how in are you?! My kitchen?" she fumbled.

"Oh don't you remember?" he asked, "Your dad offered to teach me to bake. He said he started his day at 4AM, so I came over at 4AM."

Marinette's head spun. The love of her life, the amazing Adrien Agreste was standing in her kitchen. Without another word she rushed upstairs.

"Was it something I said?" Adrien asked out loud.

Marinette raced through her room throwing clothes on and brushing her hair. She dashed into her bathroom and brushed her teeth. She couldn't believe that Adrien had seen her in her pajamas! And they were ladybug pajamas! He probably thought she was such a dork. What if I had morning breath?! She thought anxiously. She rushed back downstairs to find her mother and father talking to Adrien while he snacked on a croissant. Adrien noticed her when she walked into the room.

"Marinette!" He waved to her, "Come try one of the croissants! I helped your dad make them this morning."

Marinette felt like she was living in some sort of upside down world. She wandered over to the table and took a croissant from the boy she was in love with. It smelled amazing, and it tasted even better. There was a honey glaze on top that wasn't usually there. She smiled at Adrien, "These are great."

"The glaze was Adrien's idea," her father said, "I like them so much I think I might make them apart of the usual line up." The clock chimed on the wall.

"We're going to be late if we don't leave now." Adrien said to Marinette.

"We?" Marinette questioned him with large eyes.

"Yeah, we're both going to the same place, I figured I could give you a lift." Adrien said.

Marinette felt she must still be dreaming. She was really going to roll up to school and get out of the same car as Adrien. She nodded dumbly at him and he got up and headed toward the door. "Thanks Sabine, thanks Tom! I had a blast today." Marinette followed behind him as if in a daze. He opened the car door for her and ushered her inside.

"Marinette," Adrien started, "Your parents are awesome." She nodded at him dumbly, unsure of her voice. "You are so lucky." he said. The car ride passed quickly and soon they were at the front of the school. Adrien hopped out of the car and offered his hand to Marinette, "Milady."

Her stomach jumped into her chest. The power he had over her was amazing. She'd heard the same word from Cat Noir hundreds of times, but coming from Adrien it was so different. She felt she could barely breathe. He helped her out of the car and they walked toward the school entrance together. Several of their classmates took notice, Chloe most of all.

"Adrien! What are you doing showing up with her!" Chloe shouted in her shrill voice.

Adrien looked surprised, "Morning Chloe. We were both coming from the bakery, so I gave Marinette a ride." He apparently didn't think this was any big deal, but Chloe wasn't going to let it go.

"You didn't need to do that! She could have walked…it's what the _peasants_ are supposed to do."

It was the wrong thing to say. "Peasants? We're not kings and queens here Chloe. You're a high school student just like everyone else. It doesn't matter that your father's the mayor." Adrien reached back and grabbed Marinette's hand and dragged her toward the front entrance. This has to be a dream she thought, Adrien just stood up for me in front of Chloe. Chloe was just as surprised and couldn't think of anything to say other than "Ridiculous!"

Adrien stopped just inside the front door and let go of Marinette's hand. "I'm sorry for dragging you around out there. I just can't stand it when she does that. It's the same way my father acts. Money doesn't make you any better than anyone else, it just makes your life easier." she nodded at him again. "You've been really quiet this morning Marinette, are you ok?"

She nodded again. "Didn't sleep good. I mean well! I didn't sleep well."

"Oh ok," he said. They both walked into the class room.

"Dude!" Nino said, giving Adrien a high five, "Where were you last night? I tried calling but you never answered."

"Oh I was Marinette's house and I turned off my phone." Adrien explained.

Both Nino and Alya looked at him blankly. "Why were you there?" Nino asked.

"Marinette's parents had me over for dinner." Adrien said, "Sabine and Tom are so cool."

"Sabine and Tom?" Alya mouthed at Marinette. Marinette shrugged.

Adrien continued, "In fact Tom invited me over this morning and let me help make the croissants! You wouldn't believe how much chemistry is actually involved in baking."

Nino scratched his head, "Since when are you interested in baking?"

"Since last night. Did you know that Marinette's family eats together every night? And her mom's dumplings are the best! Honestly, they should have a dumpling shop instead of a bakery."

Alya looked at Marinette, "You need to catch me up, like ASAP."

Mrs Bustier walked in at that time and greeted the class, "All right everyone, settle down and pull out your history books. Turn to page 74."

Through a series of covertly passed notes Marinette was able to tell Alya about the dinner and waking up to Adrien in the kitchen. "OMG girl!" Alya scribbled, "It looks like you're on the fast track to girlfriend city!"

Marinette wrote back, "I hope so!"


	7. Chapter Seven: Study Partner

"Don't forget, we're having a test on chapters 4-10 tomorrow." Mrs. Bustier said as the teenagers filed out of the room. "If you're having trouble, a study partner can help."

Marinette walked out of the classroom with Alya…well more like she floated. The day had been so perfect. Maybe if this kept up she could find the courage to ask Adrien to the movies! Alya walked with her home, and she barely heard a word. She mostly nodded to whatever it was the Alya was saying. Marinette waved good bye to her best friend and stepped inside the house. She'd no sooner closed the door than there was a knock. ' _Alya must have forgotten to tell me something_ ' she thought. She was wrong. In the doorway stood Adrien.

"Hey Marinette!" He waved.

"Um…hi?" Marinette said confused.

"I was wondering if you wanted to study with me." Adrien said gesturing with his book bag. When Marinette continued to stare at him, he continued, "You know, for the test we have tomorrow? Chapters 4-10…Mrs. Bustier said we should get a study partner if we were having trouble?"

"Oh! Um, yes! In you come! I mean inside house you should!"

Adrien smiled at her jumbled sentence and slid past her into the house. ' _I must be living the best day of my life_ ' Marinette thought. ' _He could have studied with Nino, but he picked ME!_ '

Adrien set his things down and opened up his history book. He pulled out a few note cards and started scribbling a few sentences. "What part is giving you the most trouble?" He asked not looking up from the cards.

"I-um…all of it?" Marinette answered.

Adrien chuckled, "I doubt that's really the case. My biggest problem is the Alexander the Great, can you quiz me on it?" He handed her a few flash cards and she began to go through them. The study session continue that way for about an hour, until Marinette's mother popped through the door from the bakery.

"Adrien!" she said excitedly and hugged his neck from behind while he sat in the chair. "Marinette, why didn't you tell me we had company!?"

"Oh, well we're studying for a history test." Marinette explained.

" _It's nice to see you Sabine._ " Adrien said in Mandarin.

" _And you!_ " she replied back in Mandarin. " _You should really tutor Marinette in Mandarin, it would be so nice if she could speak the language_ " she continued in Mandarin.

"Well if that's what Marinette wants, I'd love to." he replied in english.

Marinette's eyes went wide, "If I want what?" She asked anxiously. Before Adrien could reply, an ominous rumble ran through the building.

"What was that?" Sabine asked out loud. Both Adrien and Marinette suspected it was probably an akumatized victim. They both ran outside, leaving Sabine standing surprised by the table.

Outside the two teenagers could see smoke rising from an area near the Louvre. A colorful person floated amongst the smoke, laughing. This was definitely a job for Ladybug and Cat Noir.

"I..um…forgot something in my locker!" Adrien said, running in the direction of the school.

"Adrien wait-" Marinette started. She didn't want him to get hurt, but she needed to find a place to transform. At least the school was in the opposite direction of the trouble. Marinette bit her lip, if she could finish this villain off quickly Adrien would be safe and she could get back to her study lesson. As he disappeared around the corner, she looked around for a place to transform. An alley nearby housed a dumpster and she ducked down behind it to transform. "Tikki! Spots on!"


	8. Chapter Eight: Lies and Alibis

It was almost 2 hours before Cat Noir and Ladybug were able to quell the akumatized victim. Ladybug barely shouted goodbye to Cat Noir before racing off into the night. She had a few spots left before she changed back, but she wanted to get back to the house before she had to explain where she'd been. Cat Noir sighed sadly after her retreating figure. ' _One day_ ,' he thought, ' _I'm going to get to spend time with her, without having to save all of Paris.'_

Marinette dropped down behind the dumpster she'd originally transformed behind. Tikki popped out of her earrings and landed in her hands.

"I'm pooped!" she whined, "I can't believe he kept going that long! Hawk Moth's victims are getting even more powerful. We need to find him, or this could become more trouble than Cat Noir and you can handle."

Marinette handed her little kwami a cookie from her bag. "He'd have to actually make an appearance before we could even try to figure out who he is." Marinette put Tikki into her bag to let her finish the cookie. As she rounded the corner of the alley she ran smack into Adrien who was rushing down the street to the bakery.

"Ow!" Marinette shouted as she fell to the ground. Adrien was sprawled partly on top of her. They both went bright red in the face.

"Sorry!" they both said at the same time.

Adrien scrambled off of her and offered a hand "Are you ok?"

Marinette's heart did a flip flop and she reached for his hand. "Yeah, ok me hurt." Adrien lifted an eyebrow as he helped her to her feet. "I mean!" she stuttered, "I'm me! I mean, I'm good!"

"Good" Adrien said. He looked down and realized he was still holding her hand. Both parties let go quickly, embarrassed. Adrien had a passing thought about how warm and soft Marinette's hand was. Adrien rubbed the back of his neck shamefully, "Sorry I dashed out so quick. I thought I forgot something in my locker…"

It was Marinette's turn to raise an eyebrow, "And you decided to go look for it during an akuma attack?"

Adrien's eyes widened, he was going to get caught in a lie. "I-well, the test is tomorrow! I thought I left my notes in my locker!"

"But we studied for almost an hour, what notes could you have left?"

"Oh, I…um borrowed Nino's notes the other day and I thought maybe he had some better information on Greece." ' _God_ ' he thought, ' _Marinette is a lot harder to fool than everyone else._ ' "Did you get any studying done while I was gone?"

Marinette looked away, it was her turn to lie. "OH! Well I didn't- I actually followed you, but I-um lost you in all the commotion and had to hang out in the hotel until Ladybug fixed everything. I just got back."

Adrien looked at his watch, it was 8:00 "Well do you want to continue studying?"

"Yes!" Marinette said a little too loudly, "I mean, I really need all the help I can get." she explained. The two teenagers headed inside the bakery.

Sabine and Tom rushed to them. Gathering both kids in a group hug, Tom said "Thank God you're all right!"

Sabine jumped in saying "Where were you? You could have been killed!"

Marinette pushed out of the hug, "Not really mom. Ladybug had it all under control."

"Regardless, you can't just go running around outside while villains threaten the citizens of Paris." Sabine said, the worry apparent in her voice.

"We're not babies Mom."

Sabine looked at her child, "You'll always be my baby, no matter how old you get."

Marinette rolled her eyes and walked past her parents. After she left the room, the adults turned back to Adrien. "Is it ok if we finish studying?" he asked.

"Of course sweetie," Sabine said, patting him on the arm. "While everyone was out running around in the chaos I made dinner. Come on in, and we'll fix you a plate."

"All right!" Adrien exclaimed. ' _Amazing dinner two nights in a row…and with a real family._ '

Adrien helped Marinette set the table as her parents brought out the food. The dish was Congee, a kind of Chinese porridge. Sabine explained that it was comfort food. Marinette whispered to Adrien that her mom made it any time she was worried.

The meal went pleasantly, though Marinette was still irritated at the way her mother treated her like a baby in front of Adrien. It was like her mother wanted Adrien to think that she was a dork. Marinette decided that she was definitely going to have to have a talk with her.

Adrien was bubbling with happiness. Marinetti's parents were just as attentive as last night. Not just to him, but with each other and Marinette. They cared about what was going on in each other's lives. Sabine and Tom cared about what the others thought and felt.

"Are you stressed about your test dear?" Sabine asked.

"Not really." Adrien and Marinette responded at the same time. They looked at each other surprised. Sabine had said "dear" but they'd both assumed that she'd meant themselves. "What's the test on again?" she asked, the apparent misunderstanding seemingly ignored.

"It's on-" Adrien and Marinette both started. They both looked at each other, a little spooked. "You first" they both said in synch. Tom laughed heartily, "It's like you're twins!"

Adrien motioned for Marinette to go first, "It's a history test, it starts with the Egyptians and goes through Alexander the Great." she explained.

"I'm sure the two of you will do great" Tom assured them.

"Thanks," Adrien replied. It was nice to have someone care about how you felt. He looked to Marinette, "We still have some studying to do though."

Marinette smiled at him, ' _I can't believe I'm getting to spend so much time with Adrien today_!' The rest of dinner went by quickly and soon the two teenagers were back to studying for their test.

"Ok, name a famous tutor of Alexander the Great." Marinette prompted.

Adrien thought for a moment and then said, "Aristotle?"

"You're right!" she exclaimed. She flipped the next flash card, "Who killed Alexander's father, Philip?"

"Pausanias?"

"You're doing great Adrien." Marinette sighed, "I thought you said you were having trouble?"

Adrien rubbed the back of his head bashfully, "Well you've definitely helped me out. I would never be able to remember all this if you weren't here to quiz me."

Marinette yawned unexpectantly. "Oh you must be pretty tired," Adrien said as he looked at his watch, "It's almost midnight."

Through her yawn she said, "I can keep going if you can…"

Adrien laughed, "It's all right Marinette, I think we're as prepared for the test as we can be." He reached out and patted her on the shoulder, "I'll show myself out. Thank you for helping me."

"No problem," she said sleepily.

Adrien stopped, "No, really Marinette; I really appreciate your family inviting me in….I spend a lot of time on my own and it's…nice to get to spend time with a normal family." Adrien's face winced in pain at the thought of his own family. He looked up to see Marinette's hand on his shoulder.

"I'm here, if you need to talk." She said, staring into his endless green eyes. "I might not know exactly how you feel, but I'd be happy to listen if you need someone…"

He smiled sadly at her, "I'd like that."

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Please read and review :)


	9. Chapter Nine: Good Riddance

Thanks for the reviews guys. My anxiety has been really high lately and it really brightens my day.

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Marinette's alarm blared loudly at 7AM. She felt like she'd hardly slept at all. Of course she hadn't fallen asleep until almost 3:00AM so she hadn't really slept that much. She rolled out of bed and pulled on her house coat. With half lidded eyes she climbed down the stairs of her attic room. Her hair stuck out at weird angles. She couldn't wait for breakfast. "Good morning!" a chipper voice said.

"Morning Adrien" Marinette said sleepily. Wait?! "ADRIEN?!" He was there…AGAIN.

"We made cinnamon rolls today." He said smiling at her. Without a word to him she rushed upstairs to change and get ready. Once she was presentable she made her way downstairs again.

"Ready to try a cinnamon roll?" Adrien asked as Marinette descended the stairs.

"Um…of course!" She said. It seemed amazing that he didn't seemed phased by seeing her in her pajamas.

Her father popped into the room, "Oh good you're awake!" he said. "Adrien suggested we add _macadamias_ to the cinnamon buns! I swear this kid is genius."

Marinette blushed at her father's praise of her crush. She knew he was awesome, but it was nice to see someone else praise him. "Can I?" She asked Adrien as she gestured toward a plate of cinnamon buns he had on the table.

"Of course," Adrien said, "I wouldn't trust anyone else's opinion."

Marinette blushed slightly and took a bite. The cinnamon buns were better than the croissants. The macadamia nuts were a perfect accent to the cinnamon. "These are really good!" she said, her mouth full. The sweetness of the cinnamon exploded in her mouth.

"You really think so?" Adrien asked, afraid she might simply be saying nice things to spare his feelings.

"These are amazing," Marinette said, "The macadamia nuts really offset the spice of the cinnamon."

Adrien blushed, "Thanks, I knew I could trust you to tell me the truth." He placed his hand on her shoulder, "Thanks Marinette." A beeping noise started coming from Adrien's watch.

"You two should probably get going." Tom said, "You don't want to be late for your test!"

The two teenagers piled into Adrien's care with a couple extra cinnamon buns and their book bags. "Marinette?" Adrien asked.

"Yes?" Marinetti's heart pounded in her chest.

"Why do you rush upstairs every time you see me? I mean, if it upsets you that I'm hanging out at your house, I don't—"

"No! I just um" She started, "You're fine. You can come by anytime" Her face felt like it was on fire and she stared at the cinnamon buns she was holding.

"Thanks." Adrien said, his gratitude slipping into his voice. "I really like your parents. They're really nice." _And you look super cute in your pajamas_ he thought as he reminisced about her cute pink PJs. _Marinette might not be as perfect as Ladybug_ , Adrien thought to himself, _but_ _she is pretty awesome_.

* * *

The school bell rang and Marinette sighed with relief, the history test wasn't nearly as bad as she thought it would be. The extra studying with Adrien really helped, especially since she probably would have forgotten to study if he hadn't been there.

Marinette stopped him before he left the classroom, "Adrien, I just wanted to thank you for helping me study."

Adrien laughed, "But I came to you for help. Trust me, I should be thanking you." He stood closer to her.

Marinette blushed furiously, "Maybe we could prep together for the next test…?" she could barely breathe, she was actually inviting Adrien to do something with her! Sure it was studying—but, baby steps.

"That'd be great." he smiled. Suddenly he was pushed back from Marinette.

"You were studying with her?!" Chloe exclaimed, her voice shrill with envy. "Why in the world would you do that?!"

"Obviously because Marinette is smart." Adrien was really starting to get tired of Chloe's attempts to monopolize him.

"Showing up to school together, studying together…don't you know what that looks like?" Chloe asked him. There was a pause in the classroom. Everyone had stopped what they were doing to watch another of Chloe's tantrums. When Adrien didn't say anything, Chloe answered for him, "It makes it look like you're dating her!"

"So?" Adrien said defiantly. Marinette's heart jumped to her throat. He didn't deny it!

"What do you mean ' _So?'_! You can't let a loser like Marinette ruin your image!"

Adrien was furious, he'd dealt with Chloe's trash talk before, but for some reason it really struck a nerve today. Maybe it was spending so much time with Marinette's family or maybe he'd just reached his breaking point, but enough was enough. "My image?! If anything being around Marinette will improve my image. She's smart and kind and beautiful…everything you aren't. No wonder you try to bully her so much. If anyone is ruining my image it's you Chloe." Chloe's mouth dropped open. Before she could say anything Adrien grabbed a stunned Marinette by the hand and pulled her after him out of the room.

Marinette was more than speechless. Adrien had called her beautiful! In front of everyone! He'd agreed to study with her again! Life couldn't get better!

"I'm sorry Marinette." Adrien said. He was still holding her hand, but he'd stopped dragging her.

"For what?" she asked, still floating.

"For making it seem like we're dating to everyone. I guess I should have denied it, but Chloe just struck a nerve today." he said.

Marinette deflated, "Oh…"

Adrien didn't seem to notice her disappointment, "I mean I've tried to keep being her friend, because she was mine when I needed one, but the more time I spend with her in public the more I've realized that she's only ever used me for my fame and looks." He looked into her eyes, "You've never treated me that way."

Marinette gave him a sad smile. She was happy that he felt like she was being genuine with him, but she still felt let down that he thought he needed to specify that they weren't dating. "Chloe might not talk to you again."

"Good riddance then." He said taking her other hand in his. "If I had to choose between you and her. I'd choose you every time." This brought Marinette's heart back to her throat. "Though, I should probably still tell everyone that we're not dating," he continued, "I can't have your admirers trying to take me out." He dropped her hands and winked at her.

"Admirers?" she asked confused, "What are you talking about?"

"Marinette, you don't have to play dumb." Adrien said smiling, "I mean, half the guys in our class are in love with you." Her mouth dropped open involuntarily. "You've really never noticed?" Adrien laughed. "Wow, you're more unpretentious than I thought!"

"I don't—why would they?—who?"

"I can't tell you! It'd be terribly unfair to go around spilling people's secrets, but even you know that Nathan and Nino liked you."

"Nino's with Alya now." she countered.

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean he didn't see how amazing you are. It just means he realized that he had a better chemistry with Alya."

"When you became the class rep, everyone took notice. Some of the guys that were in your class the last couple of years said that you're different this year. Nino said that you'd always been kind of shy, and that you let Chloe walk all over you; but that's not the girl I met. To me, you've always been confident and willing to stand up for yourself and others. Every time something happens to one of our classmates, I've seen you run **TO** them, even when everyone else has run away." as Adrien said the words, he knew they were true, but hearing them come out of his mouth made him reflect on them differently…it almost sounded like he was describing Ladybug. There was a small tingle in his chest. "What's there not to like?"

Marinette looked away, not trusting herself. "That's—that is the nicest thing anyone has ever said about me." A strand of hair fell into her eyes.

"Then it was high time someone said it." He smiled. As he said the words he brushed the hair out of her face. He hadn't really meant anything by the gesture, but he felt his heart leap to his throat as his hand touched her warm skin. _Her smile is beautiful._

Suddenly the moment was interrupted by his watch's alarm. He jerked his hand away from her face, "Oh crap! I've only got 2 minutes until fencing starts!" And then he was gone. Marinette stood stock still staring after him.

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	10. Chapter Ten: Adrienette

On the chapter ten. I love Alya, she's what a friend is supposed to be: your life cheerleader.

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"EEEEE!" a squeal sounded behind Marinette. She turned to see Alya running toward her. "That looked promising!"

Marinette smiled shyly. "I think it was."

"You think? Girl unless he was telling you he just wanted to be friends I think you might have missed the signs!"

Marinette looked unsure, "Well…he kind of said that?"

"Oh gosh, you gotta spill now." Alya said, as she grabbed her arm and lead her away from the school. They started walking toward the bakery. "Tell me everything! Start with what happened after you left the class. I didn't get outside for a few minutes because Chloe was having a melt down."

Marinette grinned at the thought of Chloe being jealous of her. "After we got outside, he told me that he was sorry for making it seem like we were dating to everyone."

"Oh no!"

"But he said it because he didn't want to upset my 'admirers'?"

"Oh yeah, I could see that. I doubt he wants an akumatized jealous guy coming for revenge" Alya agreed.

Marinette stopped her friend, "Wait, you knew that there were guys that liked me in class?"

Alya cocked an eyebrow, "In class, Marinette? Try the school. No one has ever stood up to Chloe Bourgeois so much and people have taken notice. Confidence is attractive.

Marinette's eyes were wide, "Why didn't you tell me?!"

Alya laughed, "Would it have mattered? You're in love with Adrien. Would any other guy have turned your head?"

Marinette rubbed the back of her neck, "I guess not."

"Soooo, then what?!"

"Oh! Well when I told him I didn't know what he was talking about with he 'admirer' thing, he started into this speech about how amazing I am and how he would pick me over Chloe!" Alya let out an excited squeal. "Then he pushed the hair out my eyes in a total 'romance movie' kind of way! Our eyes met…" she described, clasping her hands dreamily under her chin. "And then his watch alarm went off." she said, her face falling.

"Oh you have GOT to be kidding me!" Alya cried, "That could have been the perfect lead up to asking him out!"

"I know!" Marinette cringed. She sighed with defeat, "It probably was for the best, I don't think I could have gotten in words out anyway. The hair thing totally flustered me! I thought my heart was going to pop out of my chest it was pounding so loud!"

"Ok, the very next time you see him, you've got to ask him out."

"What!? I can't do that! He just said that he didn't want people to think we were dating!" Marinette said, as she covered her eyes with her hands. Alya pulled her hands away from her eyes.

"Girl, he said he thinks you're amazing. He said he would pick you over Chloe! He touched your face! The guy has it bad."

Marinette giddily smiled, "You think so?"

"You know so!" Suddenly they were outside the bakery. The girls popped into the front door. Marinetti's mother was manning the register. "Hey girls!" She said. Sabine looked behind the two teenagers, "No Adrien today?"

"He's got fencing this afternoon." Alya explained.

"Do you think he's coming for dinner tonight?" Sabine wondered out loud. "I'm not sure if I should make an extra plate."

Alya looked at Marinette, "Has he been coming over a lot?"

Marinette nodded, "Sunday, most of Monday and this morning."

"Wow. He does have it bad." Alya said grinning.

Sabine squealed, "Ohh I hope so!" The girls looked at Marinette's mother wide eyed. "You two would make the cutest couple! He's so nice, he's smart and he speaks Mandarin. I couldn't pick a better boy for you."

"And the fact he's a gorgeous model doesn't hurt." Alya added. Marinette couldn't stop blushing. It was weird to think her mom was cheering her on. Especially after treating her like a baby yesterday and being overly huggie the day before.

Tom popped in the store just then, "Who's gorgeous? Is it me?"

Alya laughed, "We were just talking about how your wife is a die hard Adrienette shipper."

"Adrienette?" He asked, "Is that a new classmate?"

Alya giggled, "No, it's Adrien and Marinette's names combined. It's a nickname for their relationship."

"Oh did he finally ask you out?" Tom asked.

Alya was surprised at how excited Marinette's parents were at the idea of their daughter dating. When she brought Nino home for the first time, her parents insisted they weren't allowed to be left alone.

"Um, no." Marinette said.

Tom patted his daughter on the shoulder, "He'll get up the courage soon. I'm sure he's not hanging around here because he likes me and your mom." Her dad gave her a wink and went toward the kitchen.

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Enjoy, and please review :)


	11. Chapter Eleven: Paw-sitively Purr-fect

I'm glad everyone seems to be enjoying the story. Updates might slow a bit in the next week or so. I've been dealing with my anxiety lately so I have been ignoring adulthood...which as fun as it sounds, really makes for a messy house and unhappy pets. Adulting will have to occasionally come before the story. I know, **boo** :P

Oh and for anyone that thinks I'm being unfair to Chloe: please consider that from Adrien's point of view, Chloe has been deteriorating as a friend since he started school. He's been seeing that they don't have much in common and he dislikes the way she treats others (ie gum on chairs and generally putting others down). The reactions from others when he originally mentioned that they were friends only cements the idea for him that her treatment of others if unacceptable. She has her own reasons for being the way she is, but it's important that she realize that one day her actions are going to distance people she cares about. Maybe she'll change and grow in season 2, but the story isn't about their relationship.

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Adrien didn't come over for dinner that night. Instead he had dinner alone. His personal chef brought him some pasta dish that he was sure was probably amazing, but he wasn't really tasting it, he was still thinking about getting to eat with Marinette's family. He felt like two days in a row was probably enough intrusion into Marinette's life. _Marinette_ …he thought to himself. Her name sounds like a song. Since he'd had fencing practice and piano lessons right after that, he hadn't had a moment to think about what'd happened today. ' _What am I doing?_ ' he thought. ' _I'm butting into her family like I belong there…but I feel like I do._ '

He'd ruined his relationship with Chloe, which while he wasn't sure that was a huge loss, he did felt bad pushing her away like that. Before he'd started school she was only friend he'd had. She'd been friends with him for years…and had been there right after his mom disappeared. She'd also gave him the courage to make the push to attend high school. ' _Then again_ ,' he thought, ' _the main reason she wanted me to come to school was so she could use me as some sort of status symbol._ ' Suddenly, he didn't feel so bad about his actions. There were sometimes you had to cut toxic people out of your life. Not all friendships stand the test of time…especially if one of the friends is a jerk.

He probably shouldn't have let Marinette get dragged into all this drama though. Of course he wasn't sure what he could have done to protect her from it. Adrien had been surprised, originally, how adamantly angry Chloe had been about him spending time with the dark haired girl. It took him off guard at first that she'd really considered Marinette a rival. Though the more that he contemplated the idea, the more he realized the truth. Marinette could be a real contender for his affections. He hadn't lied when he'd told her that she was smart and kind and beautiful. He smiled widely, thinking of how she often jumbled her words. It was _so cute_. In fact, there were several times he'd _intentionally_ caught her off guard or surprised her, hoping that she'd let loose with one of her garbled sentences. Those blue eyes and dark hair made for a knock out combo. It didn't hurt that her legs went on for days. She could really be model material if she wanted to be. ' _Honestly'_ , he thought, ' _if it weren't for Ladybug maybe I'd ask her out.'_

Adrien scooped another bite of pasta into his mouth. _Maybe I should ask her out_ , he thought. Even as Cat Noir he wasn't getting very far with Ladybug. The few times that Ladybug had come to save him as Adrien, they'd definitely shared a connection, but it's not like he could ask her on a date while she was saving Paris. Even if he did get a date with her…would she go on the date as Ladybug? Or her real identity? She wouldn't even share her real face with Cat Noir, there'd be no way that she'd tell some random stranger who she was. If she'd go on a date as Ladybug, there would be no time to be alone. Ladybug was mobbed anytime she was seen and Adrien's own fame was already hard to deal with.

He sighed sadly…maybe he should give up on her... He felt a twinge of sadness, if only he could figure out who she was! 'P _aris has over 2 million people…she could literally be anyone._ ' he thought…though maybe he could narrow it down? 'I _f her kwami is like Plagg, then it doesn't really change her appearance. So the stuff that doesn't change, would probably be her overall height, weight, hair, and eye color and approximate age. So I just need to find out how many girls are roughly 167cm tall, about 110lbs with dark hair and blue bell eyes. She also seems to be able to pop up quickly to most of the disasters. And most of the disasters happen around the school or the Eiffel Tower, so maybe she lives and goes to school on the same side of the city? She'd also have to be someone that hadn't been akumatized since she's been with me for every incident…well except the one with Nathan, but she did show up in the end_.' Adrien's thoughts were interrupted by Natalie, who was holding his father's iPad.

"Your father is on call for you Adrien," she said handing him the device.

"Hello father." Adrien said to his father's digital image.

"Adrien, we're going to set up a shoot for my new formal line for Thursday, I'll have Natalie reschedule your piano lessons. You'll be posing with Lisette—"

Adrien sighed, "Not Lisette again…Don't you remember what happened last time? The photographer had to drop half the photos because she kept doing that weird thing with her eyes. Can't we have Adalyn?"

"Well it's Lisette or I'll have to have the photographer take the images separately with another model. Adalyn is booked for the next six months and so is Camille. They moved up the dates for the show, we don't have time to take separate pictures and have the artists photoshop them."

Suddenly a thought bubbled it's way into Adrien's mind. "I have someone in mind actually."

"Well see if she can make Thursday's shoot, if not we'll have to go with Lisette again."

"I'll ask her about it tomorrow," Adrien said brightly. His father rarely let him have input on anything. "So what is the theme for the new line?"

"Ladybug and Cat Noir."

"How paw-sitively purr-fect." he quipped.

Gabriel Agreste was unmoved. His face was flat, "Don't make puns. They're inelegant." The screen went black and Adrien's face fell.

"Goodbye to you too," Adrien mumbled. Just once, he wished his dad would end a phone call with 'I love you' but he couldn't even get him to say 'goodbye' on most phone calls.


	12. Chapter Twelve: Good Thinking

Short chapter this time, I'm working on a fun image for the next couple of chapters so they might be delayed.

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Marinette awoke early on Wednesday. She dashed around her room putting on clothes and perfecting her hair. Tikki was surprised, "What are you getting ready so early for?"

"Adrien has caught me in my pajamas for the last time. I'm going to look cute when I go downstairs today.

"Good thinking." Tikki confirmed. Alas, the 'good thinking' was for naught as Marinette realized when she walked downstairs to find that Adrien didn't come by to bake that morning.

"4AM isn't easy for a high schooler to do every day, especially one as busy as Adrien." Tom said, patting his daughter on the back.

"You're right," she agreed. ' _I wonder how he managed to do it yesterday. He stayed until midnight the night before. That means he took his test on less than 4 hours of sleep! The boy must be a machine._ '

At school Marinette arrived early, only a few other classmates were there. Chloe came in soon after with Sabrina on her heels. When she saw Marinette she scowled and walked over to the dark haired girl's seat. "I didn't see you come in with Adrien today. He must be bored with you already."

Marinette clenched her jaw and tried to remember Tikki's words to ignore the spoiled brat. Chloe took her silence as some sort of confirmation and giggled smugly back to her seat. Nino and Adrien walked in a few moments before the bell.

"Marinette, I really need to talk to you." Adrien started, but was quickly interrupted by Mrs. Bustier asking everyone to sit down. Her heart fluttered, ' _Maybe he's going to ask me out!_ '

Class couldn't pass quickly enough. Marinette actually thought that she saw the clock's hands ticking backward. Adrien was actually having a hard time staying awake. He hadn't gotten as much sleep lately as he was accustomed to and he could use a nap. Finally the bell rang and Adrien flipped around in his seat. Marinette tried not to look too eager to talk to the love of her life.

"So what I needed to talk to you is about a photoshoot I have tomorrow." Adrien explained, "The usual girl that models my dad's clothes with me is booked for the next six months. He really needs to have the photos taken by Friday, so I was wondering if you could fill in."

Marinette's mouth hung open and she gaped at him. She couldn't think of anything to say. She would get to have pictures taken with Adrien! It was almost too much!

Alya luckily saved her, "She'll be there! Won't you Marinette?" Marinette nodded dumbly.

Adrien looked at the two girls unsure of their response. "Ok then, well give me your number and I'll get you the info for the shoot."

"810-556-3142" Alya rattled off quickly to him. ' _Thank God for Alya_ ,' Marinette was all she was able to think.

"Great" Adrien said, programming the number into his phone. "I'll see you later Marinette." he said waving to her before leaving for lunch.

Alya shook Marinette side to side. "This is so amazing!" Marinette continued to nod dumbly. Suddenly her eyes widened and her hands flew to her face. "Oh no! What if I do something dumb?! I don't know how to model! What if I forget how to smile?! Or stand! What if I stand weird! Or trip in my shoes!?"

Alya patted the panicked girl on the back. "You'll be fine. The photographer will tell you what to do and Adrien will help." The two girls exited the room and headed toward the bakery for lunch.

"So, are you going to ask him out?" Alya asked her.

She blushed furiously, "I don't know where I should ask him to go with me…"

"Oooh! After the photoshoot, you should ask him to dinner!" Alya suggested.

Marinette nodded, "That might work." She was feeling better already.


	13. Chapter Thirteen: Off to See the Wizard

I included a picture for you guys of the outfits :) For some reason Fan Fiction net has killed it's resolution. A slightly better version can be seen on my DA account - doppelgangergrl dot deviantart dot com slash art slash Moment-666794304 (without the spaces, dots where there are dots and slashes where there are slashes.) I wished it looked better, my coloring always seems to murder my drawings.

* * *

Thursday couldn't come soon enough, Marinette had barely slept. Unsure if Adrien was going to make another surprise appearance she made sure to get dressed before heading downstairs. She couldn't help but feel a little disappointed that he wasn't there to greet her. Her father noticed her sagging expression.

"He said he can only come on Monday and Tuesday mornings."

"What?!" Marinette said surprised.

"Adrien. He said he can only come on Monday and Tuesday mornings to learn to bake. His schedule is apparently full the other days." Tom explained.

"Oh…well that's good to know." she replied.

"Croissant?" he asked, offering her the fluffy pastry covered in the honey glaze.

She smiled and took it from him on her way out the door.

Adrien called her on her walk to school. "Hey Marinette." his voice came over the phone, "Sorry I didn't get the details about the photo shoot to you last night. I conked right out after fencing."

"It's totally fine!" Marinette said. It was so much easier to talk to him on the phone than in person.

"The shoot will start at 4:30 and it'll probably run until about 6. There all be a hair and makeup artist will be on site and one of my father's designers will be there to make any adjustments to the dresses. Oh and they said that you need to bring a …."

"What was that?"

"You need to..um..well the designer said that you'll need a—" Adrien started. Silence followed. Marinette cleared her throat.

"I'm sorry I don't think I heard you…what do I need?"

A loud huffing sigh came through the phone, "the designer said youneedtohaveabacklessbraandastraplessbra. Talktoyoulater bye!"

The phone clicked in her ear. She smiled slightly, Adrien sounded embarrassed.

The school day went quickly, surprisingly so. Adrien blushed scarlet every time he thought about having to tell Marinette to bring her bras. He could barely look at her. He bounced his leg the majority of the morning until Nino called him out on it. "Dude, where does your leg think it's going? You're shaking the whole bench."

"Sorry." Adrien said and forced his leg to stop. After a few minutes he unconsciously started again.

"Seriously dude? Are you nervous or something?" Nino asked. "Do I need to tie your leg down?"

"Sorry!" Adrien repeated and he shifted his foot to lay on top of his opposite leg. ' _Am I nervous?'_ He thought to himself. ' _No! What could be nervous about? …the photo shoot? But why would that worry me? I've done hundreds…but never one with Marinette. Though, I don't know why that should matter…she's my friend—my incredibly beautiful friend. His pants became a little tight thinking of how her legs looked the other night. The fact she wore pants everyday was a tragedy. He quickly tried to think of something else…anything else. Ladybug?…nope, that wasn't any better.'_

The final bell rang and Adrien sighed with relief. Thank God the day was over. He barely remembered anything about the lesson. Marinette approached him.

"Where is the shoot at?" she asked.

"It's set up in a theater near the subway." he replied, he was surprised he was able to keep his cool after the embarrassing call this morning. It helped that she didn't seem weirded out by the exchange.

"Lead the way."

He offered her his arm before he'd realized it. She seemed surprised, but took his elbow. "Off to see the wizard." he commented, hoping he arm gesture hadn't seemed too strange.

The theater had been set up with some gorgeous back drops for the shoot. A beautiful starry night had been painted behind the Eiffel tower on a canvas that fell from the ceiling to the floor. Adrien and Marinette were bustled to opposite rooms to get ready. Adrien was finished first as he didn't have to do much with hair and make up. He had to hand it to his father, the Cat Noir tuxedo was particularly nice. The fabric was a mat black with glossy black paisley embroidery that would glisten as he moved. The lapel was a sharp cut, with a flared bowtie. The jacket had tails. The shirt was black as well and the gold bow tie set the entire ensemble off. He tugged on the matching black gloves and walked out toward the stage.

Adrien glanced up when he heard the click of a pair of heels on the stage. He was immediately taken aback. "My God" he accidentally said out loud. Marinette was walking toward him…at least he assumed that was who it was. She was a 10…no an 11. She was wearing a short red dress with micro black dots covering the fabric. A slit traveled up her thigh and the dress only had one shoulder strap. He could barely look away from the two smooth legs gliding toward him. Two red elbow gloves ran up her arms. Most impressive of all was the sheer fabric that fell from her shoulders down her back, cut into the shape of lady bug wings. Her hair was piled on top of her head in a bundle of curls. Her hair had some small red jewels woven into it that reflected off the natural shine of her tresses. Her usual black earrings studded her ears. Red eyeshadow rimmed the outside of her eyes. Several small black dots were speckled throughout the red. The effect made her blue eyes pop.

"Do…I look ok?" She asked tentatively. He seemed to be staring.

"You ok hair pretty ladybug…I mean— wow, just—wow." He found himself fumbling out.

Marinette looked at him confused, "Thank you? I think?"

The photographer finished setting up just then. He clapped his hands to get their attention and in a heavy accent said, "Now now, no more gawking! We do very romantic scene!" He walked over to Adrien and pushed him closer to Marinette, "You hold her hand here, and other hand on her back…" he continued to make adjustments until he had Adrien and Marinette in a modified waltzing pose. He stood back, "Smile at each other!" he said running behind his camera. He took a few pictures but eventually started shouting more orders to the teens. "Hold her closer!" Adrien and Marinette adjusted their stances and looked at the camera. "Don't look at me! Look at him! Imagine, he is the love of your life and you want him!"

' _Well that won't be too hard_ ' she thought to herself as she turned her gaze toward Adrien.

Adrien looked like he was holding a viper. He'd thought that working with Marinette would be fun, but suddenly he found he was having a hard time concentrating. He was so nervous! ' _Calm down'_ he assured himself. _'You've posed with girls before, this is no different. The thought didn't really help much. For some reason it was different. Maybe it was because she was different. Looking at her eyes surrounded by spots made his heart flip. Maybe it's because it reminds me of Ladybug?'_ He thought.

"Adrien!" the photographer commanded, "Pay attention. You look like you swallow a bug. She is beautiful lady, you need to summon your passion! She is your lover, your goddess! Act like it."

Adrien blushed slightly and Marinette's face reciprocated the blush. ' _I'm a professional! I can do this_ ' he chided himself. He regained his composure and pulled Marinette closer…so close he could smell her scent. She smell delicious, like sugar and vanilla. He looked deep into her eyes and pretended that she really was Ladybug, and that she loved him back.

Adrien's gaze changed and Marinette felt her breath catch. She'd always wanted him to look at her this way—loving, soft. The photographer continued to walk around the two, capturing the moment, but Marinette didn't notice. She was completely absorbed in Adrien's warm green eyes. At least she was, until the photographer grabbed her by the shoulders and moved her to a different part of the stage.

He then started posing Adrien behind her, his right hand on her right hip, his left on her shoulder. It was so awkward to be posed around like she was someone's life size dolly. She tried her best not to be distracted. Marinette had never been so close to Adrien. She could feel his chest against her back and his hand on her hip. The smell of his cologne was intoxicating. It smelled so familiar…

Suddenly the photographer when back to taking photos. Adrien was in full modeling mode by this point and started moving into different poses. Marinette was caught off guard has he moved his hand to her stomach. As she looked down at his hand, she felt his lips on her shoulder.

"Stop-stop!" the photographer said. Marinette looked at Adrien her eyes wide, he'd just kissed her shoulder!

"You, girl." The photographer said calling her attention away from Adrien. "You need to be loose! You act like you're afraid of him! He is your beloved! You need to seem like you are comfortable with his touch."

"Um, yes sir!" she chirped. She really didn't want to mess this up, but she was taken aback at all the touching.

The photographer gestured at Adrien, "Adrien go back to what you were doing."

Adrien whispered in Marinette's ear, "Are you ok with this? If you're uncomfortable pretending to —"

"No it's fine," she whispered back, "I just don't want to make you look bad."

"Don't worry, with someone as pretty as you, you couldn't if you tried" he smiled a Cat Noir grin and placed a kiss on the side of her neck.

She closed her eyes and enjoyed the feeling his skin on hers. They did several variations of this pose; One with kissing her on the cheek, one with his head on her shoulder and another with his arms wrapped tight around her waist. Having Adrien so close to her was exhilarating. She'd completely forgotten the photographer again, as she was solely focused on Adrien and what he was doing. She let out a happy sigh.

Adrien giggled, "You look like you're having fun."

"Yeah," she said breathlessly.

"All right, you girl, turn around. We need to showcase the wings." the photographer interrupted them.

Marinette turned her back to the photographer, the wing portion of her dress shifting lightly. Suddenly she was inches away from Adrien's face, his breath was warm on her lips. Their eyes locked and a thick silence rose between them. She's so beautiful he thought. Almost as if it was involuntary the two leaned closer.

"Ok you spin!" the photographer announced. The two teens jerked away from each other. "You spin! Spin" he said, gesturing for Adrien to guide Marinette into a dance spin. They had to repeat the motion several times to get what the photographer called "the essence of flight"…whatever that meant. The amount of spinning was starting to make Marinette dizzy. Suddenly she tripped on the edge of her shoe, she had a moment of panic as she thought she would hit the floor, but Adrien was there to catch her, grabbing her hand and the small of her back.

"That could have been a cat-tastrophe." he said. Marinette smiled at the pun, it seemed like something Cat Noir would say.

"Maybe we should take 5?" He suggested to the photographer.

"Yes that is fine. You should change outfits anyway."


	14. Chapter Fourteen: Hungry Faces

Marinette was actually starting to have fun. The nervous jitters she usually had around Adrien were starting to calm down a little…though she was still giddy at the thought that he'd kissed her shoulder and neck!

In the other dressing room Adrien changed into the second suit. This was a very fitted cut and it's lapel was decorated with a ladybug pin. A gold cravat was tied around his collar and the black suit had pin striping down the vest. Popping back to the stage, he anxious to see what new costume Marinette was sporting.

He wasn't disappointed. Marinette facing his direction and she was wearing a glossy black halter top dress that came to the tips of her toes. Elbow length red gloves also came with this dress and they were spotted with black lady bug spots. Adrien was surprised she was still wearing the same earrings. Usually his father insisted on his model's wearing some new design from one of his jewelry affiliates. He watched her from the stage wings as she stood around waiting for him. God she is lovely, he thought to himself…until he saw her turn around.

"Meow!" Plagg said loudly from Adrien's lapel. Adrien gawked. The dress was completely backless, the bottom of the back ended just below the dimples on her back. He couldn't breath for a second. She turned around again, only this time he could see that this dress also had a slit up her thigh. Oh those legs! he thought. He backed away from the sight in attempts to get himself under control. He definitely couldn't go out there, not until he could collect himself. Plagg teased him, "What are you waiting for? So have fun with your love bug!" Adrien gave his kwami a flat expression and gestured for him to hide.

After a few minutes he was able to walk out to greet Marinette, but he was careful not to look to closely at her…he couldn't get stiff while during a photoshoot…it would be too embarrassing.

"Finally!" the photographer complained. "Now my girl, you are the predator for this set!"

"Um..what?" Marinette looked at him unsure.

"Before you were his innocent lover…your love pure" he explained, "for this dress, you are the Cat and he is the Mouse. You are here to make him yours! Feel the unbridled passion!"

"Unbridled…ok.." She repeated.

Adrien leaned close to her and whispered, "Just look at me like I look delicious."

"Well that shouldn't be hard." the words slipped out of her mouth. She would have blushed in embarrassment, but the photographer yelled, "No talking! More posing!"

Marinette tried to take his advice and did her best impression of Cat Noir when he was trying to flirt with her. She pulled him close to her by the lapels and he smiled wryly at her. She's getting better at this, he thought.

She continued posing for the camera, putting her hand behind his head and running her fingers through his hair. Absentmindedly she wished she wasn't wearing gloves so she could really feel his hair.

"Lean into him. Adrien, pull her leg toward you, like the tango pose you did with Lisette for the Fall set." The photographer said.

Adrien nodded, "Marinette, he wants you to lean your full weight forward onto me and then wrap the leg closest to the camera around my leg. Then I'll hold your thigh to keep you from slipping."

Marinette tilted her body into his and wrapped her left leg around his right. Adrien gulped and tried to focus on the ceiling. Her left leg was the one with the slit and the dress fell away from her knee leaving her thigh exposed against him. Keep it together man, he thought to himself, trying to bolster his resolve. He wrapped his hand under the mid part of her thigh.

"Hungry faces!" the photographer shouted at them. The two teens complied and looked directly into each other's eyes. Their faces were so close. Marinette's heart did a back flip. She'd never had anyone look at her like this…well maybe Cat Noir…but Adrien, he looked at her so ravenous. Like he craved her. She could feel herself getting hot under those starving eyes.

Regardless of what was going through her head, Marinette's expression stayed confident, and alluring. Adrien couldn't help but think that something about her guise seemed so familiar. The photographer continued to move around them, shooting different angles.

"Ok! To the wall!" The photographer shouted. Marinette was starting to wonder if he was always this demanding. Adrien helped her get her foot back on the ground without falling over.

The two were lead to wall of the studio and the photographer posed Adrien against it. "Now you," he said to Marinette, "You are going to trap him against the wall. You have finally cornered your mouse!"

Marinette smiled at the silly metaphor and placed her hands on the wall on either side of Adrien's neck. The photographer continued clicking the camera rapidly, occasionally shouting at Marinette to hold his lapel or to lean closer. For an unbearably long time her lips were barely out of reach of his. Something in him wanted to pull her closer.

"Ok, now kiss."

"What!?" Adrien and Marinette said in sync, turning to look at him.

"Yes! Lean back into the pose you just had, and Adrien, put your hand behind her neck and pull her toward you. You will both tilt your heads to your left."

The two teens gulped. Adrien had been made to kiss models before, but there was something different about kissing a coworker than kissing his friend. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all.

Marinette couldn't believe it. She was going to kiss Adrien! She hadn't exactly expected her first kiss with him to be so planned, but she couldn't really back out now. If she did, Adrien might think she didn't want to kiss him.

The two looked into each other's eyes and Marinette turned her head to the left…and Adrien went to the right, both hitting their noses. Marinette quickly tried to correct tilting her head to the opposite side, only Adrien had the same idea. The both chuckled awkwardly. "I said left!" the photographer instructed, "We'll do the other side in a minute."

This time Adrien gently placed his hand on the back of her neck. His palm lightly brushing her cheek. He pulled her toward him and Marinette leaned into him. Their eyes closed and their lips met, and for a moment time stopped.

This is amazing Adrien thought to himself. It was unlike any other kiss he'd had. The smell of sugar and vanilla filled his senses. Her lips were so soft and they tasted like cherries. He could feel her shudder against him, seemingly melting farther into his arms. He didn't want it to end…

"Right side!" The photographer bellowed, "And no tongue! We're posing for pictures not snogging!"

The pair broke their kiss, their eyes opening to meet each other's stare. Both were so flustered the photographer had to remind them again to lean their heads the opposite direction. They followed the same routine for this side…though Adrien made sure to keep his tongue to himself.

"Perfect!" The photographer said, suddenly walking off the stage and starting to pack up. Adrien and Marinette were still tangled in each others arms. It took a moment for either to say anything. "I suppose we should go change now…" Adrien started, but he didn't make a move to let her go.

Marinette looked away, unable to hold his intense gaze, "I suppose so." Adrien let go of her and they started to the opposite sides of the stage toward their respective dressing rooms. Before Adrien made it to the stage wings he felt a hand on his shoulder.

It was Marinette, looking like she was trying to be brave. "Before I forget, I wanted to ask if you would have dinner with me tonight."

Adrien smiled, "Sure, what's your mom making?"

Marinette looked at her feet, "I meant with just me…at maybe Cafe Sairette down the street?" When Adrien didn't immediately say something she finished with, "It'd be my treat!"

She looked up to see him smiling at her. "I think I'd like that. I'll meet you out front in a few minutes." They both made their way off stage to change. Marinette thought her chest would burst. Even if nothing went right after this, this would still have be ranked as the best day of her life.


	15. Chapter Fifteen: A Lucky Girl

Prepare so much head cannon.

Adrien waited for Marinette outside. Plagg popped out of the collar of his button up shirt. "Ooooh! Going on a date!" he teased.

"It's not a date," Adrien chided.

Plagg raised an eyebrow, "What part of a girl asking you to dinner **isn't** a date?"

"Marinette's my friend, she doesn't think of me like that." he said, a little disappointment creeping into his voice.

"Why would you think that? She seems pretty smitten if you ask this kitten."

"Well I didn't ask you, now hide before she comes out here." Adrien grumbled. He wasn't sure why Plagg's teasing bugged him today. Maybe he did want Marinette to like him? But if he wanted Marinette…then how did he feel about Ladybug? During the incident with the CopyCat, she'd pretty much confirmed to him that she wasn't reciprocating his feelings, but it was hard to let go. Part of him hoped that if he could just get her to see how he really felt about her that maybe she'd change her mind.

Marinette emerged from the theater just then. "Ready to go?" She asked. He nodded and they began walking toward Cafe Sairette, Adrien's bodyguard followed behind in the town car. The silence between them loomed. Marinette and Adrien both racked their brains to come up with something to talk about.

"Thanks for—" Adrien started.

At the same time Marinette said, "Did I—"

Blushing furiously they both said, "You first". They awkwardly giggled at their in sync words. "We seem to be doing that a lot lately," Marinette said.

"I guess you're just reading my mind." Adrien countered. "What am I thinking now?"

Marinette brought a finger to her chin, obviously pretending to consider the question deeply, "You want to thank me for feeding you?"

Adrien laughed, "Well you got the 'thanks' bit right. I wanted to thank you for standing in as my modeling partner. If it wasn't for you, I'd be stuck with Lisette." The way the other model's name came out, clearly noted that he didn't like her.

"What's wrong with Lisette?" Marinette asked, hoping she hadn't done whatever it was that he didn't like about the other girl.

"Well first off, she smells like boiled asparagus. I mean ALL the time. Second she does this weird thing with her eyes where she opens them super wide. It always makes her look like she's surprised that she's there. The look ruins 80% of the pictures."

"Well hopefully I don't smell like asparagus". Marinette said.

Adrien laughed, "Actually you smell like a cookie."

Marinette blushed and then said, "If she's not a good model, why does your father keep booking her?"

"We only use her in last minute situations. She's the daughter of Claude Coton, so my father makes an exception."

Marinette stopped him in the center of the sidewalk, "THE Claude Coton!? He's one of the best jewelry designers in the world!

Adrien smiled at her unexpected passion, "Well Dad lets Lisette model with me and it keeps Monsieur Coton willing to work with him on occasion."

"I guess the fashion industry is pretty harsh."

Adrien nodded, "Everything is about looks. Who you're seen with, what you're seen wearing and who you can keep happy…I hate it."

She looked at him with an expression of concern, "Why do you hate it so much? And if you hate it, why don't you stop?"

He shrugged, "It's one of the things my dad asks me to do. So I do it. I hate it because it's all a bunch of lies. People say things and do things they don't mean just because it'll get them farther in the industry. Don't even get me started on how the industry propagates an unhealthy body image."

Marinette considered this. She'd always wanted to be a fashion designer. She loved how a dress or an ensemble could completely transform someone. She thought back to the feeling she had when she'd worn her favorite outfit as a kid; she'd always felt so confident dressed up in it. Marinette truly believed that fashion could brighten someone's life and she loved getting to be creative, but knowing how cut throat the industry was…it made her think twice about entering the field. "Why don't you tell your dad that you don't want to do it anymore?"

They had arrived at the Cafe and Adrien held open the door for her. "I guess because it makes me feel a little closer to him? My modeling makes him happy."

The waiter took them to their table and they sat down. The two were quiet as they thumbed through the menu. They both made their selections and notified the waiter. An unsteady silence fell between them.

"So what were you going to say earlier?" Adrien asked, "Before we started speaking in sync?"

"Oh!" Marinette said, trying to think back to her lost train of thought. "I wanted to ask if I did ok for the shoot. I've never done anything like that before so I hopefully I didn't make a complete mess of it!"

Adrien smiled, "You did great. I should really request you as a partner more often. You're much better than Lisette."

Marinette blushed, "I was afraid I was coming off as mechanical."

"Maybe a little at first, but everyone is. Modeling is all about being in the moment and forgetting the camera. You started doing well when I started to kiss—" He coughed, "I mean when you started to have fun with it."

Both teens blushed thinking about the kiss during the shoot. Marinette couldn't help but wonder if it meant something to him or if it was just another day at the job.

"So is the photographer always so…loud?" Marinette asked

He laughed, "Yeah I guess he does yell a lot. He says it's because of his 'u _nbridled passion_."' The two teens chuckled at the reference to the shoot. Their food came just then and Adrien smiled at her, "Bon Appetit!"

They began to eat, silence hanging in between them. Between bites, Adrien stole glances at the girl that had invited him out. Is this a date? He thought, or is this just her being a friend? He gulped audibly and took a chance, "Marinette, is this a date?

Her eyes widened, "Um…well I thought that, um…it's a date if you want it to be…" she finished, mumbling the end of the sentence.

Adrien looked down at his food, "Ok"

She gawked at him, ' _ok? What does that mean?! Is it 'ok we're on a date' or 'ok we're not on a date?'!'_

Adrien stewed with the thought for a little while…' _Was this a date?_ ' He liked Marinette, but he wasn't sure if it was as a friend or as more. His feelings about Ladybug hadn't really changed, but he could tell his feelings about Marinette had. He decided that now was not the time to over analyze his feelings…so he changed the subject. "Who do you think Ladybug is?"

Marinette's eyes widened even more. ' _What a strange change in topic_.' she thought. She quickly answered "I couldn't possibly guess!"

"Well I've been thinking about it a lot lately. I think there is a way we could narrow down her secret identity."

"Oh really?" Marinette said, sweat starting to roll down her back. "And how's that?"

"Well I was thinking about it the other night," Adrien continued, "She's probably our age, because Alya found that 10th grade history book. She probably goes to our school since we're the only school in the city that uses that book. She'd have to be about 110lbs and around 167cm tall, with dark hair and blue eyes."

Marinette made a noncommittal grunt. How long would he be able to describe her before he made the connection? ' _Oh no! What if he already made the connection? What if he knows I'm Ladybug!?_ '

Adrien continued, not noticing Marinette's rising panic, "Our grade has 42 girls and only 18 of them have dark hair—"

"What about Cat Noir?!" Marinette blurted out.

Adrien shrugged, "What about him?"

"Well why don't you figure out who Cat Noir is and ask him to tell you?" Marinette knew this wasn't exactly the best tactic but she literally couldn't think of anything else to stall him. Who knew she was being so obvious with her identity? At this rate he'd figure it out before they got to dessert!

Adrien waved the idea away, "Cat Noir doesn't know who she is."

"Wait, why would you say that?"

His eyes widened and he nervously scratched the back of his neck, "Oh! Well you know…they always go in separate directions before they change back." ' _I knew I shouldn't have brought up Ladybug! I can't believe I blabbed something only Cat Noir would know!_ '

"Well yeah, but they could always have met up elsewhere. Or they could have just told each other." Marinette said, surprised that Adrien hadn't seemed to have thought about it.

"You know, you're right! We'll probably never be able to guess who they are!" Adrien said, attempting to back peddle away from the subject. "So what did you think of my dad's designs for the shoot?" Time for a safer topic of conversation.

Marinette's eyes went dreamy, "They were so gorgeous! The red one was my favorite! Only a genius like Gabrielle Agreste would think to add wings to the design without being bulky or looking silly!" Adrien grinned at the way she spoke. It was like she was suddenly in her own little world of fashion. "Oh and the makeup!" she continued, " I've never had my make up done professionally before! The ladybug spots were just avant-garde enough to be in vogue but not garish. I felt so pretty!"

Adrien laughed, "But you're already pretty."

She looked away, blushing. "Thank you…" she started, "but, there is something about fashion that takes me some where else. With a few seam changes, it can completely transform how a person looks."

"What do you mean?"

She pulled out her sketch pad and flipped to a new page. She quickly sketched out two bodies and began drawing similar dresses on the faceless mannequins. "Let's start with just a waist seam. If I draw in an empire waist on this dress," she drew a line directly under the bust of the sketched girl, "the clothing will fall differently on the model than if I drew in a dropped waist line." She added a seam on the other model below the natural waist. "If the person wearing the dress carries extra weight, the empire waist can hide it, making them look slimmer. The dropped waist however can make a person's torso look longer, which is especially good if a person has a short torso and long legs. Just changing one seam can mean the difference between the outfit being a knock out and it being a disaster. You don't even want me to get started on cloth types!"

Adrien laughed, "You're really into this!"

Marinette smiled wide, "It's my dream.

"Well how did your dream start?"

She giggled, "You make this sound like a job interview." He motioned for her to continue, "I guess it was when I was 5. My mother let me pick out what I wanted to be for halloween."

"And let me guess…you were a fairytale princess."

She shook her head bashfully, "Actually I was a ninja turtle."

Adrien burst into laughter, "You're kidding!"

By then even Marinette was giggling, "No really. I was a ninja turtle. It was my favorite cartoon as a kid. I would watch them on Saturday mornings and run around the house trying to be stealthy. Though, usually I just ended up breaking something."

"But I don't get it, how did getting to be a ninja turtle make you want to go into fashion?"

Marinette thought about it for a moment, it was a feeling that was hard to phrase. "When I was little my mother had told me about escaping China and the idea of being taken away from everything you've ever known, the idea that the people ruling a country could hurt you...it really scared me. I became scared of everything, but when I wore the costume…it was like I was a ninja turtle. Wearing the costume made me feel like I could be a hero, like I was strong. It was the first time I felt capable and in control. Once I realized that there were people out there that made clothes for a living, I vowed that I would be a designer. I guess…I really liked the thought that maybe, one day, one of my designs would make someone else feel brave."

Adrien's eyes opened wide as she spoke. He'd never expected she would tell him such a deep reason for her interests. Adrien had always though of designers as shallow, only caring about their outside trappings. After hearing her feelings about it, he realized that maybe the reason some people fussed about their appearance wasn't because of how it made them appear to others, but instead of how they perceived themselves. He was speechless.

Marinette wallowed in the awkward silence as Adrien continued to stare at her. She fidgeted under his gaze. "I guess that's a pretty silly reason, huh?"

He shook his head, "No…I think that's the best reason I've ever heard for starting a career. I wish I had that kind of direction."

"Is the baking not working out?" she asked.

"It's not that it isn't working out. I like baking, but I enjoy it about as much as anything I like. I'm not sure it's my calling, but it's fun. Though, I think your dad makes it more fun than I think it would be alone."

She smiled, thinking of her father, "Dad has a way like that. He can make the most boring thing fun. In fact, when I was learning to read, he'd made a game out of the vocabulary words."

"I'm almost afraid to ask…what kind of game?"

Marinette giggled, looking back on it. "He took flash cards that he wrote clues on and placed them around the house. Every time I read one correctly it would lead me to the next vocabulary clue. At the end of the scavenger hunt, I got cookie."

"Man, Marinette, your parents are so cool. You've got to be the luckiest girl in the world."

"Maybe I am." she smiled at him.

* * *

Side note, if you're unsure what I'm talking about when I reference "escaping China" I'm alluding to Marinette's mother leaving China shortly after the Tiananmen Square Massacre. Obviously this is all my own head cannon, but I like to think she escaped when the political climate was bad and decided to go to culinary school to earn a living. Which would be where she met Tom.


	16. Chapter Sixteen: Was this a Date?

The two teens finished their dinner and Adrien offered to walk Marinette back home. Adrien's bodyguard followed slowly behind them in the town car.

Marinette couldn't help but keep looking back at the slow moving car. She shivered "Does he always feel like a stalker?"

Adrien nodded, "Most of the time. I don't think he can help it. But Kong's a good body guard for the most part."

Marinetti's eyes widened. "You're kidding me! His name is really **Kong**?!"

Adrien laughed a little, "Yes and no? It's Bruno Kongsberg, but it's easier to call him 'Kong'"

Marinette glanced at the car again. She couldn't see through the tinted windows, "Does he mind that you call him Kong?"

He shrugged, "I have no idea. He doesn't talk."

"Ever?"

"Ever. Maybe he talks to my dad, but I've never heard him. I'm sort of split between the ideas that he's a monk with a vow of silence or he only speaks German."

Marinette considered this, "How long has he been your body guard?"

He considered for a moment, "Three years I think?"

"And you've never talked to him?!"

"Oh no, I talk to him all the time. He just doesn't say anything back. Honestly he seems like a pretty good listener…well he is if he speaks French that is."

Marinette laughed at the absurdity of it. Adrien lived such a different life than she did. The conversation eventually switched to trying to figure out Adrien's calling in life. So far Marinette had suggested nuclear physicist, fencing instructor, professional pianist, architect and actor. So far Adrien had turned all of them down for one reason or another.

"What about…a firefighter?"

Adrien laughed, "Why would you suggest that?"

She shrugged, "You seem to like the idea of helping people, what's more helpful than a firefighter? You could rescue defenseless kitties out of trees. Or I suppose you could be a doctor, though that sounds more intense to me than nuclear physicist. Think of all the information you'd have to learn!"

They reached her front door about then. "Firefighter does sound more exciting than professional pianist." The faced each other and their conversation died.

"So…" she said.

"So…" he said

"This is me." she gestured at the front door. Her heart was pounding wildly. He hadn't said anything about this being a date or not a date since their earlier conversation. 'I _f he kisses me, it's definitely a date…ohmygosh what if he kisses me!? Ohmygosh what if he doesn't kiss me!? Does that mean he just wants to be friends?_ '

"This is you…" he said looking at her door. ' _What should I do? She looks so expectant! I could walk away…or I could kiss her…!_ ' He thought back to dinner, he'd never really decided if this was a date or not. The pressure to suddenly make a decision was intense. Adrien thought back to the photo shoot, the kisses they'd shared for the camera had felt so passionate. He could almost feel the way she'd melted into him. He could feel it again, all he had to do was lean forward a little…but was this ok? Marinette hadn't seemed against the idea of their relationship going in a more intimate direction, but what would happen if they broke up? He would lose one of his only friends and he wouldn't be able to continue visiting her family.

Luckily for Adrien, they were suddenly interrupted by a loud crash, followed by a "shhhh!" They both looked toward the front door of her house. ' _Oh my GOD_ ,' Marinette thought horrified, _'my parents are spying on us! I could die from embarrassment!_ '

Adrien took this moment to duck out of the situation, "I guess I'll see you at school tomorrow Marinette!" He scratched the back of his head embarrassed. "Thanks for dinner." and then was gone.

Marinette stomped angrily inside. Her parents were unsuccessfully pretending to hang out in the living room. Her dad was reading a magazine, upside down and her mother was vacuuming, but it wasn't plugged in. "You ruined it!" She shouted at them, "Adrien's probably never going to talk to me again!" upset she ran upstairs to her attic room.

The dark haired girl smothered her face in her pillow, tears soaking the fabric. Tikki patted her head, "It's ok Marinette, it wasn't as bad as you think it was."

"No it's worse!"

"That's not true," the tiny voice rang out. "Adrien didn't seem offended and the date went really well!"

"If it was even a date at all! Tikki, how am I supposed to figure out how he feels about me if my parents keep butting in?" Tikki didn't really have an answer, so she simply sat with her friend and tried to comfort her.

* * *

Please read and review. The more reviews I see the more I'm likely to update earlier.


	17. Chapter Seventeen: About a Girl

Theory about the Miraculouses in this chapter. As a random side note, I would be so good at the secret identity thing! I've got a really generic face so if I make any changes people usually don't recognize me. I've had several situations where a coworker didn't know who I was because I did something different with my makeup.

Also, grumpy Plagg. I like to think he doesn't like his sleep interrupted.

* * *

It was 3:30AM and Adrien couldn't sleep. His heart was torn between Ladybug and Marinette. He wished he had someone to talk to…as he stared up at his ceiling in the dark he called out, "Plagg?"

"Whaaat?" and annoyed voice called back, "Some of us are trying to sleep."

"What do you think I should do about Marinette and Ladybug?"

"Do what? Leave 'em alone and go back to sleep." Plagg grumbled.

"I mean which girl should I pursue? I love Ladybug, but I don't really have a chance with her. I like Marinette, but I don't want something to mess up our relationship."

"Sleep!" Plagg responded, "You should pursue sleep!"

Adrien stared at his ceiling and something came to him, "Plagg, if I met Ladybug when she wasn't Ladybug, would I recognize her?"

Plagg yawned loudly, "No. She could sit down next to you and you'd never realize."

He'd often wondered why no one realized who he was, especially when he'd had to save his own father from Simon Says, but he'd never thought about how it applied to how he saw Ladybug. "Why wouldn't I be able to recognize her? I mean, I look mostly the same in my suit."

The kwami grumbled at the continued conversation. "It's because of face blindness. The magic of the Miraculouses uses it to our advantage."

Adrien was silent a moment, "What's face blindness?'

Plagg sighed in irritation. "In human beings there is a part of the brain that is specific to recognizing faces. Most human faces only differ by a few millimeters, so the brain has to have an acute awareness of the small differences. With face blindness, you can see the parts of the face, but it doesn't register with your brain as a whole."

"How can I see parts of a face, but not the whole thing? That doesn't make any sense."

"Look at it this way, when you see Ladybug, you see a person with a nose, 2 eyes, and a mouth, but you're not seeing what makes her face distinctive from every other face."

"So I could know Ladybug—"

Plagg shouted at Adrien, "Why are you keeping me awake? Can't you ask these questions during regular hours? Go to sleep! Like normal people! No one is awake this early."

"You're useless." Adrien sighed his head plopping back down onto the pillow.

"Am not. I'm lazy, it's completely different than useless."

Adrien smiled, "Thanks for the reminder. Plagg, claws out!"

As he was being sucked into Adrien's ring he called out, "No no no! What about sleep?!"

Adrien transformed into Cat Noir and hopped out of his window. "There is someone else awake right now." He bounded through the city toward the Dupin-Cheng's bakery.

Tom Dupain was just starting to preheat the oven for the morning when I knock came at the door. He cocked an eyebrow, but opened the door anyway. "Adrien?" he said surprised, "I thought you said you could only come on Mondays and Tuesdays?"

Adrien scratched the back of his head bashfully, "Actually I'm not here for a baking lesson…I need some advice."

Tom waved the teenager inside. "What kind of advice? You're not in trouble are you?"

Adrien waved his hands as if shooing the thought away, "No, nothing like that. I just need some…manly advice."

Tom looked at him confused, "Shouldn't you go to your dad for something like that?"

Adrien sighed, "My father is in Italy right now, and even if he wasn't I doubt he could give me any advice about problems of the heart."

"Ah, girl trouble then?" Tom asked as he started pulling ingredients out. Adrien perched himself on a kitchen stool.

"More than one actually." he responded.

"Well I shouldn't be surprised I guess; a good looking kid like yourself. So what's the trouble?"

"The thing is, I'm in love with this amazing girl. She smart and confident and kind of crazy…but I don't have a chance with her. I've tried to get across how I feel, but she doesn't take me seriously."

"Does she have a boyfriend already?" Tom asked, not looking up from the dough he was kneading.

"No…well I don't think so? I don't think she's ever mentioned someone."

"If she doesn't take you seriously, there could be multiple reasons." Tom explained, "She could have low self esteem and not be able to believe a guy like you would be interested in her. She could have a boyfriend already and just isn't interested, or she could just think that you're not actually serious…it could be a miscommunication."

Adrien considered this information. He couldn't imagine Ladybug having low self esteem, but the other two were plausible. He never had a chance to tell her that he loved her.

"I thought you said you had more than one girl in this problem." Tom prompted.

"Well the other girl is beautiful and smart and kind, but she's my friend."

Tom raised his eyebrow at the statement, "I'm not seeing the problem with this other girl."

"I don't want to ruin our friendship." Adrien said. "What if we break up and we can't be friends again?"

"But what if you don't break up?" he asked the teen. "You can spend your life with 'what if's' but then you'd never get to the 'what is'." He dusted his hands on his apron and put his hand on Adrien's shoulder. "The best lover, is your best friend. The reason I love Sabine isn't becuase she's gorgeous (though don't get me wrong…it's a nice plus), I love her because she's my best friend. When something goes my way, she's the first person I want to tell. When I have a bad day, she the first person I want to see because I know that seeing her will make me feel better. Friendship isn't a bad way to start a romance."

"I guess." Adrien said, "I just don't want to spend my life wondering what could have been with the first girl."

Tom shrugged, "Then don't wonder. Your best bet is to tell this girl exactly how you feel and see what she says. If she says 'yes', then your problem is solved…if she says 'no' then your problem is solved, at the very least you'll know where you stand."

"I guess I hadn't thought of it that way, "Adrien mumbled out loud. "Thanks Tom." he said, giving the large man a hug. He turned to go, but Tom stopped him.

"Aren't you going to stay for breakfast?"

"I can't. I gotta go see a girl." Adrien replied dashing out the door.

Tom shrugged, "I hope she's an early riser."

* * *

Please read and review :)


	18. Chapter Eighteen: Page Master

Adrien vaulted through the city, Tom's advice ringing in his ears. He could barely wait for the next akumatized victim. Luckily for him, he didn't have to wait long.

It was 8 AM and a clerk named Robert was having a bad morning. Robert was running late for work; per the usual for him. He dashed through the streets trying to catch the bus. He was still 15 blocks from work and the next bus wasn't for another 20 minutes. The bus pulled away just as he rounded the corner that held the bus stop. "Nooo!" He cried. If he was late one more time he was going to be fired! Just then a passing car hit a badly positioned puddle and completely soaked the clerk. Robert cringed, there was no time to change, he had an important meeting with his boss. Breaking into a jog he started for his workplace.

When Robert finally arrived it was almost 9. His clothes had mostly dried, but even he could detect an unpleasant odor that had dried into his suit. Robert's boss, Mr. Langier saw him slide in the front door. "Not again Robert! What will I do with you?"

"It's not what you think Mr. Langier!" he protested, "It was really the bus's fault! They left early!"

His boss looked disappointed in him. "At least tell me you have the paperwork for the Lapin meeting."

"Of course I do!" Robert held up his soaking briefcase. In horror, he opened it up only to find that the paperwork inside was one soggy mess.

"Robert, I've tried to be patient. Day after day, you're late, you're disorganized and you're always making excuses. I can't have someone on my team that is constantly letting me down." Mr. Langier said shaking his head. "I have to let you go."

"What do you mean?!"

"I mean you're fired." Mr Langier said, taking the soggy paperwork from the sullen man. "Your pay check will be mailed to you."

A morose Robert walked out of the building. A fire rose in his chest. This wasn't his fault! Mr. Langier just couldn't see how hard he worked. If only the bus hadn't left him. If only he'd been able to stop the car from soaking him, he would have been fine.

Hawk Moth could feel Robert's anger and resentment reaching out to him like smoke to the sky. For a moment he basked in the negative feelings. He pulled at those emotions and spoke to Robert. "Page Master, you have been unfairly punished. Everyone has been biased to you, it is now time for you to take control!" He held out his gloved hand for a small white butterfly to alight on. Clasping his hands around it and feeding negative energy into it he told Page Master, "I will give you the power to get revenge, if you get me Cat Noir and Ladybug's Miraculouses"

"Of course Hawk Moth," Page Master responded.

Hawk Moth released the akuma and it flew to the newest victim, infecting his briefcase. Black smoke raised around the lackey transforming him completely.

—

Adrien was running late. Getting back to his room after his conversation with Tom had been tricky. The last thing he needed was Kong or Natalie to see Cat Noir breaking into his bedroom. A knock came from the door. "Coming!" Adrien called out. It was Natalie again.

"You're going to be late!"

Adrien swung the door open and ran past his assistant into the hall. She followed closely behind. "Are you all right? You never sleep in." she asked.

"I'm fine, just didn't sleep well."

"Well if you need anything—" she started

Adrien cut her off as he ran out the front door to meet his body guard at the car, "I'm fine Natalie!"

Natalie shook her head sadly. She worried about Adrien. Since his mother had disappeared, things had become strained in the Agreste household. Then again, it wasn't exactly "peaches" before. Natalie recalled the strict rules Gabrielle had placed on his wife and son. The restricted trips outside the house, Gabrielle's ultimate control inside the house…it was sometimes more than Natalie could bear. She didn't blame Mrs. Agreste for leaving, but she felt badly for Adrien. He was honestly the reason she stayed on. The idea of leaving the child in solely the company of his controlling but absent father sometimes kept her awake at night. Adrien didn't know what changed his father's mind about allowing him to attend school, but Natalie knew it was because of her. She was blackmailing Gabrielle Agreste. She knew she was playing a dangerous game as she teetered on the edge of the knife blade.

—

Adrien's bodyguard pulled the car up to the outside of the school…just in time for a loud 'whoosh' to fill the air around them. He popped out of his town car and looked toward the center of the city. ' _Sounds like another akuma has gotten loose_ ' he thought with a smile. Getting to see Ladybug was his favorite way to start the day. He ran toward his school building and ducked into a dark corner to transform.

Meanwhile, Marinette stared at the empty seat in front of her. Adrien was late. While that wasn't terribly uncommon, it worried her. ' _What if he hated the date so much that he decided to stop coming to school?'_ she thought frantically. Her better judgement told her that she was probably overreacting, but her teenage hormones told her that Adrien probably hated her.

A 'Whoosh!' noise filled the room. Everyone in class rushed to the window. Well, almost everyone; Marinette was sure it was probably another akumatized victim and she used the hubbub to disappear into the hallway. Marinette ducked into one of the school's bathrooms and quickly transformed. As she ran out of the school she could see the villain rounding the corner of the nearest block. He was heading toward the Eiffel Tower. The akumatized person seemed to be completely covered in paper…like some sort of papiermache mummy. He was carrying a briefcase and he stood on a cloud of loose papers that floated him down the street. As Ladybug took in the strange site, Cat Noir popped out of nowhere.

"Good to see you Milady. You are exactly who I needed to talk to today!"

"Less talk," she said as she gave chase to the villain, "more action!"

Cat Noir bounded after her. "It's really important that we have a serious talk."

She threw him a confused look, "About what?! Can't it wait?!" As they ran after the ne'er-do-well they could see the city slowly becoming covered in papers. Every person they passed was frozen; wrapped in the papers like papiermache sculptures. Ladybug pulled at the papers covering one unfortunate individual, but they didn't budge.

"No." He shouted to her over the rustling of papers, "If it waits, then we'll transform back and I'll have to wait until Hawk Moth strikes again to see you."

Ladybug huffed in irritation "I don't have time for your flirtations Cat Noir. We have an evildoer to stop!"

"They're not flirtations!" he said, finally catching up to her and grabbing her hand. Just then Page Master realized he was being followed by the heroes.

"You!" he shouted at them, "He said you would try to stop me! No one can stop me!" He flung open his briefcase and papers whooshed out of the seemingly endless case. The two teenagers jumped apart to dodge the rush of sheets. Assuming he'd pushed the heroes back for now Page Master restarted his journey toward the Eiffel Tower.

"He must be freezing everything in place with these papers." Cat Noir suggested. Ladybug nodded at his hypothesis.

"If he gets to the Eiffel Tower he can get high enough to encase the whole city!" The two heroes continued their pursuit. "Any ideas on how to stop him?"

"Dunno, scissors beats paper right?" Cat Noir replied.

"Somehow I'm not going to bet on that working." Ladybug replied. "The akuma must be in his briefcase. If we can get that away from him, we should be able to stop him."

Cat Noir grimaced, "Let me guess, I'm supposed to distract him?"

"I wouldn't ask if you weren't so good at it!" she smiled.

"Only for you Milady." he said, using his bow staff to launch himself in front of Page Master. "Now where do you think you're going? Don't you know it's illegal to litter?"

Page Master growled at the intrusion and thrust his briefcase in Cat Noir's direction. Papers shot out of it toward the hero. Luckily he was able to do an aerial flip to the side that let him just barely dodge out of the way.

"Is that the best you've got?" He taunted.

Page Master roared in frustration. "You will be still!" another round of papers rushed Cat Noir's way. He was able to bound out of the way…mostly. One paper wrapped itself tightly around his ankle. He shook his foot in a futile attempt to rid himself of the curse object. Another round of papers rushed his way and he was barely able to roll out of dodge.

Ladybug chose this instance to fling her yo-yo around the briefcase. She pulled, but Paper Maven pulled back. "You won't stop me!" he shouted at the heroine. "I will burn Paris to the ground!"

It only took a moment of distraction. Cat Noir jumped the villain from behind and brought him to the ground. His briefcase flung toward Ladybug. She made quick work of the item and purified the akuma.

"Bye Bye little butterfly," she said. Per the usual, everything returned to normal, including Robert the clerk.

He shook his head in dismay, "What happened?'

"You turned into an evil villain bent on burning down all of Paris." Cat Noir told him in a nonchalant way.

"My goodness!" he replied.

"It's fine, we stopped you." Cat Noir explained.

"Pound it." Ladybug and Cat Noir said as they bumped fists.

Cat Noir turned to his partner, "Now that he's taken care of, I have to talk to you."

"…I don't—"

Cat Noir persisted, "This can't wait."

She looked at him skeptically, "This better be good…"

* * *

I'm not really a fight scene sort of writer, so forgive the shortness of the fight. I had to make sure it was short so they wouldn't be transforming back until they had a chance to talk. Please read and review.


	19. Chapter Nineteen: Under the Mask

The two teenage heroes retreated into a nearby open building. It happened to still be under construction.

"All right Cat," Ladybug said, "What is it that is so important that I'm going to be late?"

"I love you." He said. She hadn't been originally looking at him, but she swiveled her head quickly in his direction. When she didn't say anything else, he repeated himself, "I love you." She stay quiet. The silence felt like it encompassed forever. "Don't you have anything to say?" he asked.

Ladybug considered carefully, and shrugged. "What do you want me to say?"

Cat Noir put his hands on her shoulders, he was close enough to smell her perfume…she smelled like sugar and vanilla, "I want you to tell me that you feel the same way, that the chemistry I feel between us isn't in my head!"

She turned from him, and his hands dropped away. "We're a good team Cat…why would you want to change the dynamics?"

"I thought that was clear? Because I love you" he retorted.

She winced upon hearing the words. "Please stop saying that. It's not true." she mumbled as she looked away.

"Of course it is. From the moment I met you, it was love at first sight." He responded. He put a hand on her shoulder, she still faced away from him and he couldn't see her expression.

For some reason, the words struck a nerve in her. She shook his hand off, "You don't love me. Maybe you love the idea of me, or the persona, but you don't love the girl behind the mask."

"I—" he started but was quickly interrupted.

"You don't know me at all. Ladybug is a facade. The person underneath is completely different. Ladybug is confident and always knows what to do…the girl underneath can't decide what she's having for breakfast most days. Ladybug is heroic and always on her game…the girl underneath the mask is clumsy and has her head in the clouds."

"If you'd just let me—"

"Let you what? Get to know the real me?"

Cat nodded, "We could see each other outside of crime fighting."

"The kwamis said we need to keep our identities secret. What if when we tell each other our real identities that we lose the ability to become Ladybug and Cat Noir? I don't think they would have told us not to say anything if there wasn't a purpose. Would you be willing to give up being Cat Noir to be with me?"

He looked her dead in the eyes, "Yes. If it meant I was able to be with you, I'd give it up."

She shivered, "I can't. Being Ladybug is too important to me, and I can't risk it. You're my partner and we fight Hawk Moth, but we can't be more."

Cat Noir's face gained a pained expression and Marinette could feel her heart squeeze. "So you're saying you feel nothing between us?" he asked.

She didn't trust herself to speak so she only nodded. It wasn't that they didn't have good chemistry, they did. She felt more comfortable around Cat Noir than she did around most people ….and he was good at coordinating with her plans, but he wasn't _love_ material. He was so flirtatious, and fanciful. Not the type of person you would want to start a relationship with.

He dropped his head, "Goodbye Milady, until next time." He bounded out of the finished building and Marinette fell to her knees, hugging herself. She'd told him the truth…but why did she feel so horrible?

* * *

I know what you're thinking "OMG how could she be so horrible to him?! That's so out of character!" Give it a little time, I do explain...not in the next chapter, but eventually. Next chapter has been one of my favorites so far. I love Marinette's parents, they're so much like mine ^_^


	20. Chapter Twenty: A Remedy for Heartache

My favorite chapter so far. Please enjoy, read & review

* * *

Cat Noir leapt through the city. His throat was tight and his eyes burned. ' _I'm so stupid_ ' he thought. ' _I knew I didn't have a chance with her and I opened my mouth anyway. She must think I'm a fool…'_ Cat Noir's chest ached and he stopped on a nearby roof. He hadn't really been paying attention to where he was going, so he was surprised to see that he'd stopped one building over from the bakery. Adrien hopped down from the roof and hid behind a dumpster. "Plagg, claws in"

"That was a fast fight," He commented, "where's my camembert?"

Adrien grimaced at the kwami, "I didn't bring any. You don't need it anyway, I didn't even use cataclysm."

Plagg whined, "but I'm hungry." Adrien looked at him irritated but before he could say anything, Plagg said, "I know, I know, hide" Plagg popped into Adrien's shirt collar and snuggled against the boy's neck for a nap.

Adrien opened the door to the bakery and heard the bell chime as the door opened. Sabine popped out of the back room.

"Adrien?" she asked surprised to see the teen.

He shrugged, "Is…Tom around?"

"He's at the store, he needed to pick up some extra ingredients for a cake we're going to bake tomorrow. Why aren't you in school?"

The blonde haired boy didn't look at her. "I wasn't feeling all that great so I'm skipping."

"What's wrong dear? You look like someone shot your cat." A look of intense concern covered her face. ' _Got shot down is more like it_ ', he thought to himself. As he looked at the concerned woman Adrien realized he couldn't lie to her.

"I…well I got my heart trampled on."

"Oh sweetie! I'm so sorry, do you want to talk about it?"

"Well I came to talk to Tom or something…I dunno, I just…" he could feel tears threatening his eyes, "I just didn't think it would hurt this much."

Sabine gave him a hug, "Go sit down in the living room and I'll close up in here."

Adrien sniffed loudly and rubbed his eye, "No, you can't close the store! I'm being a nuisance, I'll leave." He turned to leave, but the older woman stopped him.

"Adrien, there are things more important than making a few extra euros, and broken hearts are one of them." She went to the door and flipped the sign to closed and walked with the teenager into the living room.

They sat on the couch, Adrien seemed uncomfortable until Sabine hugged him. He couldn't help but lay his head on her shoulder. Hot tears worked their way out of his eyes and they sat this way for a long time. She stroked his back, in a small attempt to comfort him.

After a while Sabine spoke up. "It doesn't always hurt like this. Only the first one really hurts you this way." Adrien didn't say anything at first. "In time, you'll feel better, but right now, this just…sucks."

Adrien raised his head to look at the petit lady. He was completely surprised. She looked at him incredulous, "What?" she asked, "Don't act like you've never heard that word."

Adrien smiled, "I'm more surprised to hear you say it."

She shrugged, "Sometimes it's the only accurate description. So, do you want to tell me about it?"

He sighed, "What's there to tell? I told a girl I loved her and she ripped my heart out and stomped on it."

Sabine rubbed the boy's arm. "Well, I can't make the girl love you, but I can make you some dumplings." She stood up, "Would you like to help? It can take your mind off of the heartache."

Adrien smiled at little, "Some dumplings would be great." He followed her into the kitchen and they got to work.

About 45 minutes later Tom returned home, "Sabine?! Are you ok? Why is the shop closed?" He popped his head into the kitchen to find his wife telling Adrien her favorite story about Marinette and the tooth fairy.

"Well Marinette thought that it didn't matter what teeth you put under the pillow" Sabine said, "So she pulled out her paints and clay and started making fake teeth!" Adrien giggled at little Marinette's resourcefulness. "You can image how upset she was that the clay teeth didn't magically transform into money the next morning!"

Tom cleared his throat to break their conversation. When they turned their attention toward him, he asked about the shop being closed.

"That's kind of my fault," Adrien started. He looked ashamed and Tom could put two and two together.

"It didn't go well huh?" Tom asked. Adrien simply shook his head. The large man sighed, "Well knowing for sure is always better than wondering forever." The teenager nodded sadly. "What are you two making?"

"Dumplings, of course! What else would you make for heartache?" Sabine asked. Tom started to roll up his sleeves and dusting his hands with flour. "Where should I jump in?" he asked.

This surprised Adrien, "Aren't you going to open the store again?"

Tom wink at him, "The benefits of being your own boss is that you work the hours you want to work. Right now, I don't want to work in the bakery. Instead I'm going to hang out with my best girl and a good kid." Adrien smiled widely. Even the time that he was hospitalized with meningitis as a kid his dad didn't take off of work. The idea that two people who barely knew him would close down their business down for a whole day to make him feel better was completely unheard of. ' _I wish they were my parents…_ ' he thought to himself.

The whole day Marinette felt awful. A low grade nausea ached at her. Her rejection of Cat Noir was eating at her. ' _I didn't lie to him…_ ' she thought to herself, but that didn't make her feel any better. She felt she'd been too harsh…what if he never wanted to talk to her again? Cat Noir would be annoying but she didn't want him out of her life. She didn't know why she reacted that way. Maybe she wanted him to know the real her…not just the costume? Marinette groaned sadly and dropped her head to the desk. Alya could tell something was bothering her friend, but Marinette had already declined to talk about it. The best she could do is be there for her BFF.

When class was over Alya offered to hang out with the dark haired girl, but Marinette refused. "I'm just not up for company right now." Marinette was so depressed about the situation with Cat Noir that she hadn't even felt like telling Alya about the 'Not -a-date'. She'd waved Alya off saying that it was just a few pictures and that nothing earth shattering had happened. She suspected that her best friend knew she wasn't being exactly truthful, but Alya was smart enough to know when not to pry. Marinette just couldn't bring herself to get excited about stuff with Adrien after she'd spurned Cat so badly.

Marinette came home after school feeling sullen. Adrien had not showed up today; So she was quite surprised to walk in to see her parents and Adrien watching a movie. "Adrien?"

Adrien chuckled at something happening on the screen, "Hey Marinette."

"What are you doing here? Why weren't you in school?"

This pulled him back to reality and out of the movie, "Oh, I…um—"

"Adrien wasn't feeling well this morning and your Dad happened to see him on his way back home so we invited him to dinner."

Marinette looked confused and a little skeptic, but no one disagreed with her mother, "Um..ok? I'm going to put my bag in my room…" she said as she walked up to her attic bedroom.

Adrien turned to Marinette's mother, "Did you just lie to your own daughter?"

"Sweetie, if you ever have children, you'll find out that parenting doesn't come with a handbook and you make most of it up as you go along. I figured if you wanted to tell her about your day, you would do it yourself."

He smiled in gratitude, "Thanks, I really appreciate that. Actually I really appreciate today…I've never had anyone take some much time out just to make me feel better…"

Sabine smiled sadly at him and stroked his cheek with her thumb. "Adrien, you're one of the family, whether you like it or not."

About that time Marinette came down and plopped on the couch, "What are you guys watching?"

Tom laughed at some misunderstanding happening on screen. "It's called La Placard. A guy that works for a condom factory is about to be fired, so he's pretending to be gay so they can't fire him without reason. The lie gets super out of hand and now everyone thinks he's insanely interesting!"

Marinette giggled, "What is he doing now?" she asked pointing at the scene.

Sabine piped up, "He's representing his company in a gay pride parade. Oh my gosh! I can't believe they gave him a condom hat!"

The four continued to watch the comedy and when it ended it was about time for dinner. Adrien and Marinette set the table and Tom and Sabine brought out the dumplings.

"Dumplings twice in one week?" Marinette asked, "I usually have to beg you for these! What's with the change of pace?"

Sabine shrugged, "I was just in a dumpling mood! Adrien actually helped me. I thought he'd be interested in how to make them since he's been practicing baking with your father."

This explanation seemed to placate her and she dug into her portion of the dumplings. After dinner Sabine shooed the two teenagers off to do their homework. Since Adrien had been absent, he spent a portion of the night copying Marinette's notes. While he was copying she gave him several long glances. ' _He hasn't mentioned the date—or the not-date…he doesn't seem to hate me, but shouldn't he want to talk about what happened?!_ ' They worked in silence for a while.

"Are you feeling better?" she asked hoping to break the awkwardness.

Adrien smiled to himself, "Yeah, actually."

"…" Marinette waited for more, but he didn't seem to realize. "What did you do all day?"

"Well, your mom closed the shop and we made dumplings. Your dad and I played some Mega Strike III, which by the way, he's not nearly as hard to beat as you are. Then we watched that movie."

"I thought you weren't feeling well?"

Adrien looked away, "I don't really want to talk about it…"

"Oh," She replied. She felt a pang in her heart…' _he could talk to my parents about it, but not me?_ '

"You're parents are amazing, do you know that?" He asked. Marinette nodded off handed. "I mean seriously, I don't think my Dad has ever treated me as warmly as your parents have and they barely know me." Marinette didn't really say anything and Adrien thought she looked uncomfortable. "I'm sorry."

Marinette jerked her head to look at him, "Why?"

Adrien looked down at his notes guiltily, "I've been kind of monopolizing your family since Sunday, I'm probably bothering you…hanging around all the time." He started shuffling his papers together to leave.

"No!" Marinette said, a little more forcefully than she'd meant. Unconsciously she'd grabbed his arm and they both looked down at her hand. She jerked it back quickly, "What I mean is that I don't think you've been monopolizing them…I like having you around." She blushed furiously.

He smiled, thankful that she didn't think he was imposing. It was nice to not feel like he was someone's obligation. Suddenly she blurted out, "Can we talk about last night?" She closed her eyes, looking like she was preparing for a blow.

"Sure, what about last night?"

"Um…well—my parents butting in at the last minute…I just wanted to apologize. They mean well, but they can be a little over enthusiastic sometimes."

Adrien smiled warmly thinking of her parents and their botched attempt at spying. "They're fine. Was that really bothering you?"

She went red, "It's just that…when we were talking we never really decided if it was..um…err..a date." She mumbled the last bit, but it was still clear enough for him to pick up. He also went red.

"I—um…Marinette I don't—"

She quickly back pedaled the conversation, "Oh! It's fine, you don't need to say anymore! I must have read the signals wrong." Her face was on fire and she turned away from him so he wouldn't see.

"Let me explain." He said grabbing her by the arm.

"You don't have to! It's ok!" she tried to pull her arm away, never looking at him, "We're friends…that's enough." she tried to break his grip on her arm. Marinette couldn't bear if he saw her cry, it was embarrassing enough to get rejected.

"No it's not." He said. He turned her to face him. She still continued to look at the floor, heat rushed into her face. The words that came out of his mouth surprised both of them. "Last night was great. I had a lot of fun with you…but—"

"but?" she repeated.

"The reason I didn't come to school today was because I —I was turned down."

Marinette looked at him in confusion.

"I've been in love with this girl for a while, and today I finally decided to tell her…and she told me that she wasn't interested." Adrien plopped back down in his chair. He hadn't wanted to tell Marinette about his romantic fiasco. He didn't need someone to pity him, and it was pretty embarrassing telling someone that you were rejected, but something about her eyes made him want to confess everything. ' _Must be genetic_ ' he thought since he couldn't help but tell Sabine as well.

' _So there was someone else_ ' Marinette thought to herself. ' _He doesn't care about you…there was someone else all along_ '. Her heart felt like it was ripping into pieces, but when she looked at Adrien's broken face…she realized that regardless of how she felt, she couldn't bear to see him sad.

He looked embarrassed at his confession, "I know, it's a stupid reason to stay out of class…but she's important to me and I didn't think I could sit through a lecture when she was the only thing on my mind."

Marinette grabbed his hands in hers and forced herself to look into his eyes. "Well she's crazy then. She doesn't know what she's missing." Marinette said. "You're amazing and honest and sweet. You're the most genuine person I've ever met. You say what you mean and you care about people. If she can't see how amazing you are then she's missing out."

Adrien chuckled lightly, "Thanks Marinette. I really appreciate that." He considered carefully what he wanted to say, "Marinette, you're a terrific person…"

She dropped his hands, "I sense a 'but' in this sentence," she said preparing herself for the worst.

"But, I'm pretty raw right now. I'm sure in the future I'll heal my wounds and be ready to try the whole 'romance' thing again…but right now, I'm barely holding it together." She looked at him, obviously missing the meaning it what he was saying. "Marinette, I—care about you. I'm not asking you to, but if you wait… then maybe when I'm not so hurt…maybe then we could give it a try?"

Marinette was stunned. Was he asking her out…in the future? This was so crazy! When she didn't say anything he continued, "I just don't want you to think that I don't look forward to seeing you everyday, or that my heart didn't skip a beat when I saw you walk out in that red dress."

They both blushed at the memory of the photoshoot. "I can wait." she said smiling. "I've waited this long, what's a little while longer?"

—

Note: La Placard is a real french movie and it's hilarious.


	21. Chapter Twenty-One: The Walls Have Eyes

I was unsure if I wanted to include this chapter. I wrote it when I was originally going to take the story in a different direction...so I'm not a 100% sure it belongs, but it still works with what I'm doing so I decided to keep it. Enjoy, R&R.

* * *

The clock beeped quietly as it turned the hour. Adrien glanced at it and saw that it was midnight. His hands rushed to his head. "Oh no! My dad is going to be so pissed!" he said, scrambling to collect his things. "Kong and Natalie have no idea where I am!" He pulled his cell phone out. He'd silenced it when he came into the bakery and there was 47 missed calls. "He's going to kill me!"

Marinette tried to help him gather his things and he dashed down the stairs. "Bye Marinette!" he shouted as he ran from the front door.

"Bye…" she said quietly. Her heart squeezed in her chest. She felt so conflicted. She was happy that Adrien was attracted to her, but disappointed that he wasn't interested in a relationship right now. Marinette felt a little sick at the idea that he was so heart broken at the moment. She hated that something had dimmed the ever present smile that decorated his face.

Adrien dashed behind the dumpster and transformed. He bounded from roof top to roof top at a mad speed toward his house. What would he tell his dad? What would he tell Natalie? 'What if he barres me from school?! I won't get to see any of my friends anymore!' he thought fearfully.

He snuck quickly past the house wall and landed on the roof. The night air was cold and he could see his breath. He used his staff to sling his way through the open bathroom window. In the bathroom he transformed back into himself. Natalie was there when he opened the door. Her face looked stern.

"Um…hi?" he said, unsure what to expect.

"That's what you have to say?"

"Um…hi Natalie?" he tried again. Adrien could tell her was ticked.

"Try again. Where have you been?"

Adrien rubbed the back of his neck shamefully, "I was hanging out with one of my friends. I just lost track of time…"

"Adrien, you know better than this. You missed fencing, and piano. Furthermore, when I called the school they said you were absent all day. What's going on with you?"

"Just…teenager stuff." Adrien said looking down.

"And Cat Noir stuff?" She asked

Adrien's eyes went as large as saucers, "Wh-what-what are you talking about? I'm not Cat Noir!"

The dark haired woman's face was flat, "Adrien, I know who you are. We have security cameras in several places, and it doesn't take much work to take a look at them when you've gone missing."

Adrien could feel his world crashing down around him. He could feel his blood pumping in his ears and he felt a little light headed.

Natalie smiled sadly at him, "Don't worry, I'm the only one who knows. I've also taken the liberty to erase the footage every time you leave."

The teen couldn't believe was he was hearing, "How long?"

Natalie thought about it, "Since your first day at school. You snuck out with out your body guard and I didn't see you either…so I checked the tapes. You're lucky that it was me first, if it would have been your father I would have never been able to convince him to let you go to school."

"Thank you Natalie…" the boy came to the full realization of his assistant's support. "Wait…you convinced him to let me go? I thought he'd had a change of heart..?"

Natalie considered this, "It was more like a change in …perspective."

Suddenly he hugged her, "Thank you Natalie. You really don't know how much it means to me to be able to go to school."

She pulled away from him and straightened her jacket. "I may be keeping quiet about your extracurriculars, but you need to get your act together. No more of this running off and staying out at odd hours. I can't keep making excuses for you forever."

"Yes ma'am."

"You're lucky your father had to leave for Germany this afternoon, or there wouldn't have been an excuse I could give him for this romp of yours."

Adrien nodded to her solemnly. Natalie gave him a small pat on the shoulder and left the boy's bedroom. Adrien felt exhausted. Today had really sent his emotions through the ringer. He finally fell into bed after what seemed like the longest day ever. As he pulled the covers up to his chin he could feel the ache in his chest return.

* * *

I know, short chapter. I'm working on several of the next chapters all together so its taking a little longer than usual.


	22. Chapter Twenty-Two: Straight and Narrow

Enjoy! R&R

* * *

Tikki had spent most of the weekend lecturing Marinette on how badly she had handled the Cat Noir situation.

"Marinette, you really hurt him."

She sighed, "I know, but I didn't mean too! I can't help it that I don't feel the same way about him that he does about me."

The little red kwami put her hands on her hips. "That's not it, and you know it. You were really harsh to him! There were nicer ways to tell him that you didn't return his feelings."

"You're right, but I wasn't expecting him to just blurt out that he loves me."

Tikki narrowed her eyes, "Don't act like you didn't know he had feelings for you. He hasn't been exactly hiding them."

Marinette covered her face, "I should have been nicer…I just—when he said that it was love at first sight, I lost it. I don't know why!"

Tikki eyed the girl. "Marinette, people don't 'just loose it'. There was a reason you snapped at him and I think you know why."

The dark hair girl considered for a while. Why had she snapped at him? She felt guilty that she didn't feel the same way, but she really shouldn't have been angry at his feelings—if anything she should be flattered. "I guess…" she started, "I guess it's because that Cat Noir has never lied to me. He goes out of his way to annoy me, but he's always told me the truth. When he said he loved me, I knew it was a lie."

Tikki flew to the girl's face, "It wasn't a lie! He loves you!"

"He loves LADYBUG, and that isn't who I am. So when he said he loved me, I was mad. I know that Cat Noir doesn't really know the real me, but somehow, I felt like he knew me better than the rest of the city…to realize that he was in love with the Ladybug persona that everyone else sees and loves…it was a let down."

The kwami patted the girl on the head. "Marinette, you ARE Ladybug. She's a part of you!"

"Maybe she's the best part…" she mumbled. "What if Cat Noir saw the rest of me, and …" she started to tear up, "And he didn't like what he saw?"

Tikki wiped away the tears that rolled down her ward's cheeks. "You are a good person Marinette. You might not be the person you want to be, but you're moving in the right direction to be the best version of yourself. Anyone that cares about you can see that. Cat Noir cares about you. You've been so afraid that maybe he wouldn't love the rest of you, but how do you know that he wouldn't love Marinette even more than he loves Ladybug?"

She sniffed twice and smiled at the little red kwami, "I suppose I should have probably given him a chance huh?"

"It couldn't have hurt."

"But what about Adrien?" Marinette asked, "I told him I'd wait."

"Who you choose is your decision, but even if you choose Adrien, I think you owe Cat Noir a better explanation of your feelings."

"I should probably apologize huh?" the girl said, rubbing the back of her neck shamefully.

"That'd probably be best."

—

Monday rolled around before Marinette could blink. She hadn't seen or spoken with Adrien since he'd rushed out of the house. She was eager to see him make her breakfast again. Dashing around her bedroom she did her best to look cute for him. Putting her hair into it's signature pigtails she dashed down the stairs.

"Good Morning!"

"Good Morning?" she replied to her father. She glanced around the bakery.

Tom continued to drink his coffee. "He said he can't come this week. Something about being grounded."

"Oh…" Marinette sighed. "Well I'll see him at school."

—-

The school day proceeded as usual. Adrien sat down in front of her, but didn't really speak to anyone. Nino passed notes to him through most of class. Marinette attempted to read said notes covertly. She was only able to catch one word "grounded". But she already knew that. Probably why he was quiet today. She felt bad that being with her had gotten him into trouble, but with a father like his, she suspected he was in trouble fairly often. Marinette wondered to herself how someone so sweet could have been raised by someone so harsh. At lunch Marinette finally had a chance to talk to him.

"Adrien!" she called as he stood from his seat. "Do you and Nino want to each lunch with me and Alya at the bakery?"

The blonde boy smiled sadly, "I can't. Natalie is insisting I stay on the straight and narrow for a bit." Nino clapped his friend on the back.

"That is wicked harsh dude."

The two boys exited the room and Alya turned to her friend. "You're getting better at talking to him! It's a step in the right direction."

Marinette nodded, "I guess. I feel bad that I got him in trouble." Over lunch she explained that he'd stayed over too late studying with her…carefully leaving out Adrien's broken heart and his proposal that she wait for him.

"Sounds like a definite move in the right direction!" her friend smiled.

—

Adrien sat quietly in the vast dining room of the mansion. Only the clock could be heard ticking. He felt Natalie's eyes on him as he ate his food.

"Did he say anything?" Adrien asked, not looking up from his food.

"No. Should he?"

The teenager sighed. "I guess not…"

Natalie's cell phone suddenly beeped. Her eyes widened slightly as she read a text message. "Your father would like to see you in his office before you leave to go back to school."

Adrien's heart beat faster…did his father know?

"Father?" Adrien said as he poked his head into his father's study. His father didn't look up immediately. The blonde boy wasn't sure if he should speak louder or wait for his father to finish whatever it was that seemed so important. Adrien decided to stay quiet. After a couple of minutes Gabrielle Agreste looked up from his desk and motioned for his son to come closer.

"Good, you're here. I just got the proofs back from the photographer." Adrien eagerly looked over the desk to see the photos. Several of the photos had turned out really well. Adrien's favorite was the one where they were in the tango pose, the ladybug wings fluttered softly in the picture. The boy smiled softly at the picture, the two looked so carefree. Subtly, while his father was examining a different image, Adrien slipped the photo into his pocket.

"They're perfect." Gabrielle said, picking up one of the pictures of Marinette in the black backless dress. "Where did you find this girl?"

Adrien shrugged his shoulders, "She's a friend from school."

"Well I think we definitely need her for the fall line. Her hair will be perfect for the gold tones that I'm going to be using."

"That's great Dad! I'm sure Marinette will be excited." Adrien said. "She's one of your biggest fans." An awkward silence filled room as Gabrielle continued to sift through the photos. After of a moment Adrien realized that his father had forgotten the he was there. He cleared his throat. "Um, Dad?" Gabrielle looked up, suddenly remembering that Adrien was still there. When he didn't say anything Adrien prompted him, "Was that all?"

"Oh. No, I wanted you to give the girl her paycheck for the shoot."

"Marinette," Adrien corrected. "Her name is Marinette."

"Yes, yes of course. Marnie." Gabrielle said absentmindedly as he handed an envelope to Adrien.

"Not Marnie, it's Marinette. She won the derby hat contest. Her parents run the bakery near the school."

"Yes, well make sure she can be free in 2 months for the shoot."

Adrien gave his father a sidelong glance. This was the most attention he'd received from him in a month and his father was barely focused. He sighed and left the room.

—

Adrien was almost late to class, so he wasn't able to give Marinette her paycheck. Life seemed so gray today. It was hard to focus on the lecture, his chest hurt and he kept thinking back to Ladybug's face when he closed his eyes. She had been so angry. ' _Maybe it's so awful to the loved by me that she was disgusted…_ ' he thought sadly. Another part of his brain chimed in, ' _Marinette isn't disgusted. Marinette likes you._ ' He smiled a bit at the thought. Marinette was nice and he liked being with her…but she wasn't as confident as Ladybug or as flirtatious. Still, Marinette had her own charm. The way she got red in the face the she spoke to him and the way she stuttered when she was caught off guard were too cute. Watching her stammer through a greeting to him was always sure to put a smile on his face. He smiled at the memory of her vanilla sugar fragrance.

It still hurt knowing that his relationship with Ladybug wouldn't be the same. Then again, while it hurt to know she didn't love him back, it was partially refreshing to get his feelings out in the open and to really know how she felt about him in return…even if her feelings weren't the ones he wanted. He wondered how to act with her when he saw her again. It'd been a few days since the last akuma attack and Hawk Moth was due another victim anytime. Maybe all this was for the best, he thought, Marinette, unlike Ladybug, can get to know the real me…well most of the real me. He wondered how he would explain his frequent absences if they started dating. After the incident during their study session, he realized she was a lot more astute than most people he dealt with.

The bell finally chimed at the end of the day. Adrien felt like the day had been a marathon. He rose his seat to leave, but remembered the envelope. "Oh, Marinette, I almost forgot." He said turning to the dark haired girl. "Here's your paycheck from the shoot." Adrien threw her a weak smile and she tried to say something. It came out too garbled to really understand. Adrien was too emotionally tired to put up the effort. "I'll see you tomorrow." he said to her mumbles. The blonde boy left the room quickly and went out front to wait for his ride.

Behind him was a shriek and suddenly someone grabbed his shoulder. It was Marinette, her eyes were wide. "Adrien! I can't accept this!" She said shoving the envelope back at him.

"Why not? Please don't tell me that he skimped your pay…"

Marinette shook her head violently. "No! He's been too generous! There's a thousand euros in there!" she said in a loud whisper.

Adrien was surprised, "That sounds about right, we were taking photos for about three and a half hours."

"You make this normally?!"

"Well…yeah." He responded. Before she could say anything a car horn honked. "I've got to run, that's Kong." She nodded mutely, still holding the envelope. "I'll see you later."

Marinette watched as the teen got into a shiny black car and pulled away. She'd never had so much money at one time. What would she do with it?!


	23. Chapter Twenty-Three: Like Home

Several days past, and Adrien was as quiet as ever. Nino was starting to really get worried for his friend. As he watched Adrien zone out in class he passed him a note. "Dude, want to hit a movie tonight?"

Adrien skimmed the note and made a quick scribble back, "Can't, still laying low."

"Thought your dad was out of town tonight?"

Adrien nodded his head and passed back, "He is, but Natalie is still there."

"Nat's cool, just ask."

"Maybe instead of a movie we can hang in my room?"

' _Well that's something_ ,' Nino thought and wrote a quick affirmation on the paper.

When class finally ended the two boys headed toward Adrien's black sedan. Kong sat silently as usual. They slid into the back seat and the driver took off in the direction of Adrien's house.

"So, you gonna tell me what's up?" Nino said giving Adrien a sidelong glance.

Adrien's expression darkened, "What's there to tell?"

The dark skin boy raised an eyebrow, "Seriously? You've been like a pod person for over a week. What's the deal? First you start hanging out with Marinette like she's your soulmate and then you blow off Chloe. You've been ignoring my calls, and lately you barely talk. Did something happen with your dad?"

The past week and a half skimmed across Adrien's thoughts, he hadn't realized how odd his behavior had seemed until Nino mentioned it. He shamefully rubbed the back of his neck. "I really wasn't hanging out with just Marinette…it was more like her whole family, but I'm sorry man. I haven't been trying to blow you off or anything…life's just been weird this past week."

Nino waited for more, but Adrien kept the silence. "You gonna explain? Or do I have to drag it out of you?"

He shrugged, "I guess I'm just down because of that girl I told you about…"

Nino's eyes widened, "You mean THE girl? The one you've been head of heels for over a six months that you keep refusing to tell me about?"

Adrien nodded, "I told her how I felt."

"Oh…I'm guessing by the expression that it didn't go well."

"Not really the way I planned…"

"So that's why you've been avoiding me all week?"

"No, I haven't been trying to avoid you. I've just been so caught up in my own stuff that I've been kind of a crappy friend to you. I'm really sorry."

Nino clapped his best friend on the shoulder, "It's cool man, I'm just surprised you've been kind of AWOL. Oh, and what is the deal with you and Marinette?"

The blonde boy dropped his head in his hands, "I wish I knew. I started hanging out at her house because her parents are awesome and some how we ended up on a date and now I've no idea where this is going…"

"Ok dude, you're definitely going to have to catch me up on this stuff. You went on a date with Marinette? How did I not hear this from Alya? She's had a crush on you for ages!"

Adrien jerked his head up right from his hands, "She has?!"

"Yeah…haven't you ever noticed that she stutters and gets all clumsy around you? Actually, when I invited her out to the zoo and Alya and I ended up getting stuck together it's one of the things we talked about. I'm kind of surprised you didn't notice."

"Well, I…I kind of just assumed she stuttered when she talked to everyone."

Nino laughed, "Nope, just you man."

Adrien had thought her feelings were relatively new. He hadn't realized that she'd been waiting for him so long. ' _I guess I've been so blindsided by Ladybug that no one else even popped up on my radar…_ ' he thought. Something in his chest warmed at the thought that her cute stuttering was only for him.

"So you gonna tell me about your date?"

Adrien ran his hands through his hair. "Well, I told you that she was going to help me with that photoshoot right?" Nino nodded. "They dress her up in these amazing dresses. Damn…there was this slit so high up…and this other dress was completely backless…it was just…wow"

Nino smiled at his friend's apparent inability to describe the outfits. ' _She must have been a major knock out for him to have trouble talking…_ ' The two boys exited their ride and walked up the steps to Adrien's house. "Actually," he said, "I've got one of the pictures." The blonde boy pulled the pilfered photo out of his back pack where it'd been riding since it's theft.

Nino eyed the picture and whistled, "Whoa, you weren't kidding. Damn." He gave the photo one last look and handed it back to his friend. "Then what happened?"

"Then we started taking photos and things were fine until the photographer made us kiss—" Adrien covered his eyes with his hand feeling completely embarrassed, "I don't know what happened man…it was amazing, but I dunno. I'm still hung up on the other girl."

"Wait what?!" Nino said rather loudly. "You kissed her and you didn't lead with that?!"

Adrien grinned sheepishly. "Sorry I'm not usually a kiss and tell kind of guy. Besides it's not the first time I've had to kiss someone for a shoot…"

"Yeah, but this is Marinette. Class rep and unsuspecting beauty. If you're so hung up on someone else why'd you ask her out?"

The blonde boy shook his head, "I didn't ask her, she asked me. I didn't realize it was a date at first…I just figured we'd grab dinner since we just finished the shoot…but then I started thinking about the kiss and I asked her if it was a date and she kind of said it was. It was all sort of weird—not the date, the date was great, just I guess calling it a date was weird? It didn't really make it any less weird that her parents were spying on us when I dropped her at the bakery."

"So…?" Nino nodded, expecting him to continue.

"So what?"

"Dude! Did you kiss her or what?"

"Or what, I guess? I told you, I don't know how I feel about her. She's sweet and smart and beautiful, but—"

"But the other girl is better?"

"No! Yes? I dunno. It's not that the other girl is _**better**_ , she's just different. I can't just turn my feelings for her off." Adrien sighed.

"I think all this comes down to this: when you spend time with Marinette, how do you feel?"

Adrien considered this carefully as he and Nino walked up the stairs to his room. ' _How do I feel when I'm with her?_ ' He thought to the date and her surprising revelation about her love of fashion. The way her eyes looked when she saw him upset about the rejection made his chest ache. She'd seemed so concerned for him, even though he had more or less just told her than he wasn't interested in her, when she should have been sad, she comforted him. Adrien remember the warm kiss in front of the camera and the way she felt in his arms. ' _When I'm with he_ r,' he thought, ' _I feel like I'm home._ ' Goosebumps went up his arms as he recalled the smell of vanilla and sugar. He looked down at his arm covered in gooseflesh. "She makes me happy."

Nino patted his friend on the back, "Then that's all you need to know. You don't need to be in love with a girl to date her. The point of dating is to see if you are going to fall in love with this person." Adrien nodded at the sentiment. Nino continued, "Now, you want to play Cart-Boy 7 or Mega Strike?"

Around midnight Nino left to head home and Adrien changed into his pajamas. As he laid in bed that night, he noticed that the ever present ache in his chest had eased some. As he closed his eyes and started to relax into sleep, the smell of vanilla sugar drifted through his dreams.

* * *

Sorry I'm not updating terribly often, they just changed my OCD meds again and the withdrawl from the last one has been a bitch. Enjoy the chapter! We're getting ever closer to the reveal ^_^


	24. Chapter Twenty-Four: Get a Life

Enjoy, don't forget to R&R :D

* * *

Adrien woke up more refreshed than he had been in a week. The dull ache that had been solidifying in his chest had abated some and it didn't feel like the burden it had before. Kong brought him in to school and Marinette arrived with Alya at the same time. "Morning." Adrien said with a smile.

Marinette's heart ached happily, it was so good to see him smiling again. "Hey!"

"Nino!" Alya called out as she saw him walking toward the front doors. She waved to Marinette and Adrien and left them to catch up with her beau.

"So…?" Adrien said.

"So…?" Marinette repeated.

"I was wondering—" Adrien started.

Marinette said at the same time, "Are you—"

"You first." They both said in sync. The both giggled lightly at what was starting to seem routine. Marinette smiled, "You must be reading my mind."

Adrien thought back to their date, "Well I bet I can read your mind."

"Oh! And what am I thinking?" Marinette said flirtatiously, her heart racing at her own boldness.

"You're thinking: Why yes Adrien! I would love to eat lunch with you today!"

Marinette blushed furiously, "I-um…where did you and Nino have in mind?"

Adrien sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. "Well I thought it could just be you and me…"

"Oh!" she chirped, her eyes widening. "Then you reading my brain good—I mean, yes I'll eat lunch with you."

The blonde teen smiled at her jumbled sentence. The bell sounded and the two turned to go inside. Before taking their seats they'd decided to meet at nearby Cafe Du Monde for lunch. During the entire morning Marinette practically floated. Adrien's chest felt lighter than it had been. He was really looking forward to spending more time with Marinette.

Alya in the meantime was writing feverishly. After half a page of writing, she passed the paper to Marinette. The dark haired girl skimmed the page. "W _TF Marinette!? You KISSED Adrien and didn't tell me?! You actually asked him out and you didn't fill in your BFF? I had to hear this from Nino! You told me that nothing earth shattering happened during the shoot! I would say kissing and a date with the guy you've been obsessing over for 6 months as 'earth shattering'! You owe me an explanation. Spill girl."_

Marinette sighed guilty, " _Sorry_ ," She wrote back, " _I was too upset about the whole date, not-a-date thing to really talk about it. I promise to fill you in after school_."

" _Just tell me at lunch_ ," Alya passed back to her.

Marinette smiled happily, " _Can't, Adrien asked me to lunch!_ "

" _OMG! That's amazing!"_ her friend wrote back, " _I need every detail after school, of the kiss and both dates!"_

"But o _f course._ "

—-

Lunch finally rolled around. Alya and Nino, both knowing the circumstances made themselves scarce. Adrien and Marinette exited the school together and made their way toward the Cafe. Unfortunately, there was a loud crash from a few streets over. Inside, Marinette groaned. Mentally Adrien prayed it was just a minor car accident. As the two teens rushed around the corner, it was quickly apparent their date was going to have to wait.

Marching confidently down the street was a woman wearing all white. A gauzy train flowed from the crown of her head and she was toting a bouquet. Behind her, about 20 entranced people wearing bridesmaids dresses were following her. As the woman passed bystanders she pointed her bouquet at them, a puff of pollen hit each person transforming them into bridesmaids. The newly transformed people began to follow the woman down the street. Cars crashed and veered out of the woman's way. As she passed their drivers she transformed them as well. From the alley way Adrien and Marinette were standing in they could clearly hear the woman shout, "Come my bridesmaids! We'll teach Louis to leave me at the alter!"

Adrien and Marinette sighed sadly at the same time. "I think our lunch might have to wait…" Adrien started.

"Yeah," Marinette replied, "I've got to…"

"I forgot that Natalie needs me at home." Adrien blurted out, desperately trying to think of anything to allow him to leave the situation.

"Right!" Marinette agreed…though she didn't remember him saying anything about that before. She just needed any excuse to get out of the situation. "I forgot that I promised Mom I'd pop back by the bakery and pick up…something." she mumbled. The two teens ran in opposite directions, both mentally cursing their bad luck. ' _I wish Hawk Moth would just get a life already!_ ' Marinette thought angrily.

As Cat Noir popped out from behind a building, he was almost ran over by a large burly man wearing a pink bridesmaid's gown. His hairy arms bursting out of the undersized dress made Cat Noir frown in revulsion. Pink was not this man's color.

Ladybug bounded in from the opposite direction. "Cat!" She shouted, trying to get his attention. As she came closer to the place he loitered, she grabbed his arm, "I really need to talk to you."

The superhero pulled his arm away from her, "Now really isn't the time. We have a villain to usurp."

"It's important!"

"So is this!" He retorted, "Less talk, more action."

Ladybug's chest clenched hearing her own words thrown back at her. While he didn't seem irritated with her, he did seem overly serious…a strange aura for the normally foolhardy hero. The two turned their attention to the woman running amok. She seemed to be searching for someone. In a shrill voice she instructed her minions to look under cars and in buildings for the missing "Louis".

"I'm afraid Louis will be a little late today." Ladybug announce using her yo-yo to swing into the Bride's line of sight.

"Who is Louis?" Cat Noir whispered to her as he dropped down next to her.

"Dunno," She whispered back, "but who ever he is, lets hope he stays wherever he is. With this many lackey's I'm not sure we have the power to fight her and protect him." Cat Noir nodded at her assessment and turned his full attention to adversary at hand.

Roughly a mile away, Louis ran frantically in the direction of the church.

* * *

On to the Akuma fight!


	25. Chapter Twenty-Five: Derailed Plot

Louis and Ava had planned this day for months. It should have been perfect. The couple had picked out the cake and flowers; Ava had painstakingly decided on the bridesmaid's dresses and the songs for the reception. No matter how well laid the plans may be, mother-in-laws will always find a way to derail the plot.

Four miles from the sanctuary, Louis shouted at his best man, "What do you mean we're lost?! Toulouse, you said you knew where you were going!"

"I thought I knew, but after the detour, I lost my sense of direction. Don't worry man, I'll get you there."

Louis rolled his eyes at his friend. "We're already late."

"Hey! I said I'd get you there, I didn't say anything about it being on time."

The young groom quickly dialed his mother's number. "Yes?" a middle aged woman answered.

"Mom! It's Louis. You've got to tell Ava that I'm running late. There was a detour and Toulouse has gotten us a little lost. Tell her that I'm going to be there."

"Of course my dear!" his mother replied, "I'll make sure she doesn't panic." The pair ended the call, and the older woman smiled in spite.

Anxious to get to his bride, the groom started running.

Louis should have been at the church at 11:30AM, and Ava was to walk down the aisle at 12, but 12:30 came and went and the groom was still absent. Ava paced anxiously in the back hall of the church, sweat slicking her hands. There was a creak at the door and she looked up, expecting her suitor…only to see her would be mother-in-law instead.

"You should really call this whole thing off," The middle aged woman sneered. "My son is doing you a favor by jilting you. We both always knew how this would end."

"What?" the bride asked in surprise.

"Louis just called me, he said he's changed his mind. He's not coming, we really should tell the rest of the guests...no reason to waste _everyone's_ time."

Ava could feel her chest tighten, understandably upset, she rushed from the church. Two of her bridesmaids followed suit.

—

Outside the bride sneered at the two heroes. "Where is Louis!?" she screeched.

The duo launched into an attack on the akumatized victims. With her dress so large, she couldn't dodge out of the way. Ladybug grabbed one of her arms and Cat Noir held the other. The bridezilla didn't even struggle. She smiled slyly and her bridesmaids came to the rescue. The mob of pink dressed people rushed Cat Noir and Ladybug, ripping them from their target.

"Ladybug!" the black clad hero shouted. Anger bubbled within him and Adrien whipped his bo staff in a circular motion, knocking the attackers away. He quickly launched himself into the mob, grabbed his partner and pulled her free. "I hope you have a plan!" he said as they stood back to back.

"It looks like the akuma is in her bouquet. If we can get it away from her, we should be fine."

"Easier said than done!" he retorted. "How do you think we're going to get away from this riot?"

Ladybug glanced around quickly, looking frantically for something she could use to latch her yo-yo onto. Luckily they weren't far from a church. She could easily spy several gargoyles on the roof. Grabbing her partner around the waist she used her yo-yo to pull them to the roof of the church.

"I could use a little warning next time." Cat Noir said, rubbing the back of his neck. He was definitely going to feel that whiplash tomorrow.

"I'm sorry." Marinette said guiltily, "I was only thinking about getting away."

The blonde boy shook his head, "It's fine, what's the plan?"

Ladybug wasn't really listening, "I'm not sorry about just now…I'm sorry for last week. It wasn't—"

Adrien snapped his fingers in front of her face, "Focus Ladybug! We don't have time to talk about last week, we have to save Paris right now. Get your head in the game."

She was surprised that he'd spoken to her that way. Cat Noir was usually understanding and kind…this had come off more fierce. ' _Of course_ ,' She thought to herself, ' _I deserve the criticism. I shouldn't have treated him so badly…_ '

"You're the brains of this operation Milady. What are we going to do?"

Ladybug opened her mouth, but before she could say anything there was a shriek from the square below. Apparently Louis had arrived on the scene.

"Louis!" the Bridezilla shouted at a man dressed in a tuxedo. "You dare to present yourself before me?!"

"Ava?" The man questioned. After a moment, recognition washed across his face. "What's going on? What are you doing?"

Ladybug and Cat Noir landed next to the Groom. "Sir," Ladybug began, "You need to get away from here. I think you're the target she's after."

As Ladybug reached for his arm, Louis pulled away. "Ava, why are you doing this?"

"You question me?!" The woman in white shouted. "You left me at the alter! You betrayed my trust! And now you're going to suffer."

"What!? No!" Louis said, rushing toward his bride, "I would never leave you! Didn't my mom tell you that we were running late? I would never betray you. You are my light."

The akumatized victim seemed to soften and her hold on the bridesmaids seemed to weaken. "You are my reason to be," Louis continued. He was now only about 10 feet away. "You are my other half, and I could never go on in this world without you." As he said this, he took the stunned woman in his arms and kissed her with an intense passion.

The woman was so stunned she dropped her bouquet and began to transform back into her normal self. She returned the kiss in ernest. While the two lovers were distracted. Cat Noir grabbed the bouquet and destroyed it. As a purple butterfly escaped, Ladybug captured and purified the troublemaker.

The couple continued to kiss as Paris and the confused bystanders returned to normal. Cat Noir gave Ladybug a salute, "Well it looks like we're done here and in record time. If you don't mind, I've got some place to be."

"Stop!" Ladybug pleaded as she grabbed his hand, "I need to talk to you."

"Can it wait?" he asked, "There is someone waiting for me."

"It can't wait. I really have something important to say to you."

The boy sighed in irritation, "This better be good…"

* * *

This is kind of a funny chapter, because my husband also got lost on the way to the wedding. I showed up to the venue 10 minutes before he did and we had to do some creative hiding to keep him from seeing my dress (he left to go to the venue 45 minutes before hand and it was only 5 minutes away). My mother in law also tried to derail things at the reception, but because all of our friends knew ahead of time what she was like, they all shut her down before she could cause any trouble.

In case you're wondering about Louis turning her back, I'm kind of basing the thought off of the Origins episode where Stoneheart was turned back by Mylene's kiss.


	26. Chapter Twenty-Six: A Familiar Scene

Sorry this took so long, I had to spend my spare time finishing up the book for my book club T_T it was a slog.

* * *

The companions retreated onto the roof of the church. The familiar scene seemed to play out in reverse. "Milady, I hope you're going to be quick, because I have somewhere important to be."

"Trust me, this is important." she answered. "I was thinking about what you said last week." She paused, gauging his reaction. If he was upset with her, his face didn't betray him. "I wanted to tell you that I was sorry."

The blonde boy raised an eyebrow, "Sorry? That's all? Can I go now?"

Ladybug was taken aback, "Yes? No! Aren't you going to say anything about it?"

He shrugged, "What do you want me to say?"

Surprise rose within her, what _did_ she want him to say? "I guess that you accept my apology?" she said weakly.

For the first time since they began the conversation Cat Noir's face showed emotion. "Accept—? What? Are you crazy?" His eyebrows shot toward his hairline. "I bared my heart to you. I put my emotions on display and you crushed them. 'Sorry' doesn't really cut it." his voice never raised, but she could feel the heat of his words. He turned away, as if to leave the roof. Before he could jump away she grabbed his arm.

"Cat…I don't want to lose you."

Cat Noir turned back to face her. "You're not losing me, but you can't really expect that everything can go right back to normal after a week. I need time." In a quiet mumble he added, "I loved you."

"I know, I just realized how mean I was to you. I don't want you to think that I hate you or something. I care about you."

"Just stop…please." he replied. "I don't need your pity."

"It's not pity," she assured him. "When you told me your feelings…I guess I'd always thought that you were just a flirt, that the things you said didn't hold any weight."

"You were right," he started. Ladybug felt as if he were dealing her a real blow. "We don't know each other at all. If you really knew me, you'd know that when I say something, I mean it. I don't lie, and I don't flatter."

"I realize that now, I guess I just couldn't believe that —" she stopped, unable to finish the sentence.

"That what?" he prompted after the silence became too much.

Tears pricked the edges of her eyes, "That someone could feel that way about me. I was afraid that if you got to know the person behind Ladybug…you'd realize what a mistake you'd made…"

Cat Noir had been trying to keep his composure through out this whole conversation, but seeing her confidence falter he knew he wouldn't be able to keep it together. ' _No going backwards Adrien_ ' he thought to himself. If he was ever going to move past his feelings for her, he couldn't keep trying to be her knight in shining armor. Cat Noir turned his back to his partner. "It wasn't a mistake." He said carefully. "But you can't play with me like this. I'm not a ball of yarn."

"I'm not playing with you—I'm trying to be honest."

"It's too little, too late Milady." he replied, "You hurt me in a way I didn't think anyone could." He paused for a while, Marinette flooded his thoughts, "There is someone that cares about me. When I told her what happened between us…instead of being upset that I didn't return her feelings, she comforted me. She was there for me, even though it probably hurt her to do so. She might not be poised like you, or terribly confident, but she's amazing person. While everyone runs away from the outsiders, she runs toward them. She's compassionate, and sweet…and a little clumsy. But you know what? I _like_ her clumsiness; I _like_ her awkward way of stuttering when she gets nervous. She's not perfect like you…and I think I love her for that. Right now that girl is waiting for me, so I'm going to go to her."

Hot tears rolled over the edges of Ladybug's mask as she watch Cat Noir fade into the distance.

* * *

All the feels.


	27. Chapter Twenty-Seven: Mad Dash

Cat Noir transformed back into Adrien in an alley near the Cafe du Monde. Anxiously he looked around for Marinette, only to remember that she'd said she needed to go to the bakery. Adrien started in the direction of the bakery, but as nearby clock chimed 1 o'clock he realized that trying to meet her there would be futile. It'd be better to just head back to class and try to talk to her after. As he sprinted toward school Plagg popped out of his shirt collar, "That was harsh!"

"What was?" Adrien panted.

"Duh, the way you rejected Ladybug."

"What are you talking about Plagg? I didn't reject her, I told her the truth. I'm not ready to be on friendly terms with her just yet."

The black cat kwami shrugged, "I don't understand humans, but I can tell you that was rough."

Adrien huffed at the creature, "What would you know?"

"Well I know that she was trying to be honest with you and you shut her down. You could have at least listened to what she had to say. It's not a crime for her to not feel the same way about you that you do about her."

"It's not that Plagg...it's the fact she wrote me off as some fan. She acted like all the times we'd fought together meant nothing, like we were just acquaintances who barely know each other!"

Plagg flew at his face, "Yeah, and then she tried to apologize to you while you told her that you weren't ready to play nice. Real classy." Adrien sighed and something in his chest twitched...maybe he had been too hard on her. He would have to apologize... _great_ he thought, _now we're in some sort of apology tag_.

* * *

 _Late to class again_ Adrien thought to himself. Someone was bound to notice sooner or later. He glanced at Marinette's seat. She wasn't in it. The blonde boy glanced at Alya as if to say _'where is she?'_ The girl shrugged at him. It troubled him that she didn't come back from lunch. It wasn't completely unheard of for Marinette to miss class, but what if it was because he cancelled their lunch date? The teenager sighed…how was he going to try to have a relationship with her if he was going to constantly have to disappear?

The afternoon dragged on as Mrs. Bustier rambled on about the English and their many invasions. Adrien completely blocked out an hour about Charlemagne. He was too preoccupied. He felt bad about his fight with Ladybug and was mad at himself for being so thoughtless. Instead he tried to think of Marinette. She didn't come back from lunch so she was obviously irritated at him for ditching their date…unless she was injured in the akuma attack! _Oh no!_ He thought, _what if she's hurt somewhere?!_ Adrien leapt out of his seat before he could think about it.

Mrs. Bustier was startled, "Adrien? Are you all right?"

"No Ma'am! I-I think I need to go to the nurse." He said the first thing that popped into his mind.

The teacher seemed a bit unnerved at the rapid announcement but nodded for him to leave. Adrien rushed out of the room throwing his backpack over his shoulder. He ran with wild abandon toward the bakery. _Please be there, please be there…_ he repeated in his head.

Adrien burst through the doors of the bakery, throughly frightening the patron and Mrs. Dupain-cheng in the process.

"Adrien?" Sabine said surprised.

"Is Marinette here?!" He huffed trying to catch his breath. The confused woman nodded and pointed to her daughter's room. Without another word, Adrien dashed up the stairs to Marinette's attic room.

"Marinette!" Adrien shouted as he threw open the hatch to the teen's room. Marinette sat up quickly on her chaise, completely taken off guard.

"Adrien?" she said, flabbergasted. "What are you doing here?" She rubbed some of the tears from her face; a small attempt to look better for him.

He pulled himself fully into the room and rushed to her. Pulling her into a tight embrace, he said "I'm so glad you're ok, I thought that you might have been hurt during the akuma attack…" As he held her close, he breathed in the smell of vanilla and sugar. It was amazing how easily the scent relaxed him.

Marinette pulled away from him to look Adrien in the face, "What do you mean? If I'd been injured, Ladybug's Miraculous would have returned everything to normal anyway, so I'd be fine.

Adrien realized he was being an idiot. He put a few feet of distance between himself and Marinette. Rubbing the back of his neck, he said "You're right! I'm sorry for bursting in here like that…I'll go."

Before he could turn away, she told him "You don't have to…"

Embarrassed at his insane actions Adrien stole a look at her face. Her eyes were red, she'd probably been crying. Something pierced his heart. "I'm really sorry about lunch."

Marinette sighed and plopped down onto her chaise lounge, "It's ok. It's really my fault that you missed your curfew and was grounded." It wasn't really the reason she was upset, but it wasn't like she could say: _Our lunch date? No, I'm not upset about that at all! Instead I feel like crap because I tried to apologize for being harsh to Cat Noir only for him to completely misunderstand me and tell me I was being a jerk when I was just trying to be honest. Why would I cry over a simple lunch date when I can cry about ruining my relationship with my partner?_

He sat down next to her, "It's my own fault. I know how obsessive my dad is about my safety in the 'real world' so I really should have been keeping a better eye on the time."

Silence filled the space between the teenage duo. Adrien had a quick idea, "I know that I can't go back in time and fix our lunch date, but maybe we could have dinner together? At my place?"

She looked at the boy of her dreams and smiled seeing his cheeks flush. "I think I can clear my schedule…"

"Great!" Adrien said, standing. His watch beeped and he had a moment of panic. "Crap! I'm supposed to be at fencing right now! I've got to run! I'll pick you up in an hour and a half!" he explained as he quickly exited the room.

Marinette smiled sadly at the closed hatch to her room. Before he'd burst in, she'd been wallowing in her own self pity for how things had gone with Cat Noir. Realizing that Adrien had run a half a mile to make sure that she was ok couldn't help but push the dark feelings out of the way. _God I love that boy_ she thought to herself.

* * *

Enjoy, please R&R


	28. Chapter Twenty-eight: Left-footed Duck

For those of you that are unfamiliar with the sport of fencing, an "epee" is one of the sword types.

* * *

Adrien could hardly think during fencing. His instructor could easily tell his mind was elsewhere. D'Argencourt was irritated as his student's preoccupation and tried to bring him back into the present with a head shot.

Adrien's helmut clanged as his teacher's epee hit against his face mask. The teenager reeled back and stepped off the end of the strip.

"Adrien!" he said, "What are you doing? You're acting like a duck with two left feet." The young man blushed and pulled off his helmut.

"Sorry sir. I'm just a little distracted."

The man sighed at this 'revelation'. "I can see that. If you are not going to focus on the task at hand, there is no point to you being here."

He perked up instantly, "Does that mean I can leave early?!" D'Argencourt was about to say something, but before he could Adrien had already raced into the locker room.

The fencing expert huffed, "He acts like he's in love." In the locker room, Adrien took a quick shower and tossed his equipment into his bag. His chest was lighter than it had been in a week and he couldn't wait to see Marinette's face again.

* * *

Adrien dashed outside where Kong was waiting in the car. It was still about a half hour before he said he'd be by to pick Marinette up so he had Kong make a quick stop.

Sabine was just sweeping the shop when Adrien poked his head in. "Adrien! Twice in one day? I thought Tom said you were grounded."

The boy rubbed the back of his head, embarrassed "Well I am…it's why I asked Marinette if she'd have dinner at my place tonight."

"Ooh! A date?" Sabine smiled. "I supposed that's why you're holding tulips?"

He blushed, "Um..yeah. Too much?"

"Marinette loves flowers, they'll be just right." As if on cue, Marinette floated down the stairs of her room. She blushed furiously as she saw Adrien holding flowers. ' _Maybe I should have dressed up a little more?_ ' she fretted. It was a date…but she didn't want to seem like she was going to go over board. After half an hour of going through her wardrobe, she'd decided on a loose blue tunic over dark blue leggings that had constellation patterns scattered across the fabric.

"You're sure you're okay to go out?" Sabine asked her daughter, "You said you didn't feel good at lunch—"

"I'm fine!" Marinette interrupted. Adrien raised an eyebrow and then suddenly remembered the flowers he was holding.

"These are for you!" he said nervously as he shoved the tulips toward her.

She smiled, "That's so sweet. Thank you…"

"Why don't I put these in water while you two head on your way?" Sabine said taking the bouquet from her. Marinette thanked her mother and turned back to Adrien.

"Milady." he said, offering his arm. Unexpectedly, Marinette frowned. It only lasted a millisecond, but it was long enough for both Adrien and Marinette to notice. The familiar address made her chest ache, but she forced the pain away. She refused to let her problems as Ladybug effect her life as Marinette. Taking the boy's arm she smiled as widely as she could and they made their way to his waiting car.

* * *

I'm fascinated by the reviews I keep getting about how Marinette/Ladybug and Adrien/Chat have handled the rejection situation. Some people are saying they're exactly in character and some people have said that they're being immature or overly harsh (lol a couple of people said they weren't harsh enough to each other). I'm honestly starting to question my view of the characters. I'm definitely losing steam on this story despite I haven't really gotten to the climax of the story which is why I started writing in the first place. :P I'm trying to plug through; any encouragement is welcome


	29. Chapter 29: The Rules of Right of Way

I apologize to anyone that isn't that interested in fencing. Just go ahead and skip this chapter. I actually fenced for a couple of years in college and I was pretty good...so I might have gone a little over board in this chapter.

For those of you that are unhappy with my chapter lengths...seriously pick something else to criticize. I'm literally 35,000 words into this fan fiction...length really shouldn't be what you're concerned with.

* * *

"My humble abode." Adrien said sarcastically as he held the front door open for Marinette.

She giggled at the inaccurate description, "I've been to your house before Adrien, you don't have to introduce me."

He raised an eyebrow in confusion, "When have you been to my house?"

Marinette felt her heart jump to her throat, she'd been to his house a couple of times…as Ladybug. "I-I was as your birthday party! Remember? Nino set up the dance floor in the courtyard."

"Oh yeah." He said, thinking back, "I don't remember seeing you there."

Marinette rubbed the back of her head embarrassed, "Well I was kind of wall flower…I was too nervous to really talk to you much then." This answer seemed to satisfy him and they walked up the stairs.

"Dinner won't be ready for another hour, so I thought we could hang out in my room for a bit."

"Sounds good," Marinette blushed, things were going pretty well!

As they entered the room, Adrien dropped his fencing bag to the floor where it made a loud clang.

"What's in there?" Marinette asked motioning to the bag.

Adrien unzipped it and pulled out an epee. "Just my fencing gear. Nothing special." He performed a quick salute to her with the weapon and bowed.

"That's so cool." she blurted.

"Do you like fencing?"

Blushing, she said, "I don't really know anything about it, but I think it'd be cool to learn."

"If you're really interested I could show you a few things," he offered. He tossed the sword at her and after a bit of fumbling she caught it. Smiling he brought out an additional weapon, this one looked thicker, more like a pirate sword. "You're holding an epee. It's the most common of the fencing swords. It's also the easiest to use because you can score points by hitting anywhere on the body. This" he said, swinging the weapon he had in hand, "is a sabre. It's commonly what people think of when they picture pirate swords. Fighting with a sabre is completely different than with and epee. Epees are more for a poking type of attack, while sabers are meant for slashing. Sabers have more rules too."

Marinette fumbled with the epee. She'd expected all swords were pretty much the same, who knew there were so many rules to jabbing someone with a stick? The area that she would expect someone to hold the epee had a weird lumpy handle. It didn't look anything like what she'd seen in movies. Suddenly she jumped as she felt Adrien's hand on her shoulder. "This is a pistol grip" He explained, holding the epee and guiding her hand onto the handle of the weapon and wrapping her fingers around it. "You hold it like you would hold a gun."

She giggled nervously, "I thought sword handles were supposed to be straight."

"Some are, those are called french grip, but a pistol grip lets your hand and wrist remain in a more natural position and gives you more to hold. Using a pistol grip means it'll be less likely an enemy can knock the sword out of your hand. It usually gives you better control."

He tilted her shoulders to the side. "If you stand to the side like this," he explained, as he put his hands on her waist to turn her hips, "you'll make for a smaller target." Marinette felt like her face was on fire. It was so hard to concentrate on what he was saying when his hands were wandering like that.

"You want to line your hand up behind the bell," he said, standing behind her and straightening her arm behind the curved base of the sword, "and that will protect your arm from getting hit." His breath felt so warm on her cheek and she loved the feeling of his hand on her hip. For the next forty-five minutes, Adrien explained the finer points of fencing to her. She learned how scoring worked and the areas that you could move. He even showed her a few striking and defensive moves. They were both enjoying themselves when the bell rang for dinner. The two continued talking as they made their way downstairs. The teens were so absorbed in their conversation that neither noticed Gabrielle Agreste standing at the bottom of the staircase.

"I see you've brought your lovely friend home." he commented.

"Um, yeah. Dad, you remember Marinette?"

"Of course. I trust that you'll be able to join us for the fall photo shoot?" he replied.

Marinette looked to Adrien. He hadn't mentioned anything about another shoot. "I—" she started.

Adrien looked back at her, "Father was interested in seeing if you would be free for a photo shoot for his fall line, it'll be in about 6 months."

"Oh, well yes?" she responded, not really sure what she should say. It would be awesome to work with Adrien again, especially since they were on such good terms now, but she was a little disturbed that he hadn't asked her until his father brought it up. It was hard to do anything but agree when Gabrielle was staring down his nose at her.

"Then it's settled." Gabrielle said in a terse tone. Without another word he turned and walked into his office.

The blonde teen turned back to her, "Sorry, his social interactions still need a little work. You don't have to do the shoot if you're not interested."

"No!" she blurted out, "I mean, I think it'd be fun."

"Lucky me then" Adrien said flashing her a smile. The two resumed their conversation about the finer points of fencing and sat down to dinner.

Dinner was extravagant. Marinette had rarely seen such a spread. It seemed that the chef was expecting to feed an army. "Isn't your dad going to join us?" she asked as Adrien pulled out a chair for her.

"We'd be more likely to have the mayor sit down with us."

Marinette made a face, "Ugh, I hope not. My luck, he'd spend the whole time talking about Chloe."

"I know Chloe can be rough sometimes, but she's really not all bad." Adrien thought back to his rough words to her a few weeks ago. The blonde girl had hardly looked in his direction since the exchange. "She didn't deal with her mom's death all that well. Sometimes, I think she acts shallow to keep everyone at bay." Adrien poked at the food on his plate. "It's easier not to get attached when the people around you think that you don't care."

A silence fell over the table. Marinette knew that Chloe's mom was gone, but she'd always assumed the mayor was divorced. She cringed inside, at some of the things she'd thought about Chloe in the past.

"I suppose that doesn't really excuse some of her behavior…but maybe it's an explanation. I think it's why we get along so well sometimes…she was really there for me after my mom left. When my dad started getting so over protective, she jumped in and told me that I had to insist on going to regular school." Adrien sat up straighter in his seat and made a very good Chloe impression. "Adri-kins! You can't let your father hole you up in that tower! You have to take charge of your life because it's the only life you've got." The signature sassy-ness dripped off of Adrien's voice and Marinette couldn't help but giggle. It was a decent impression of the cheeky girl. Adrien settled back into his usual posture. "I'm glad she talked me into going to school." he reached his hand out and placed it over Marinette's. "If she hadn't, I would have missed out on meeting you."

A blush rushed over her face, "You don't know that. Maybe you would have walked into the bakery one day, or maybe I would have started mandarin lessons."

"Maybe," he replied, "but maybe not. I wouldn't give up meeting you and Nino and Alya for the world."

* * *

Dinner went smoothly and around 8 Adrien offered to walk Marinette home. She smiled shyly. "I'd like that."

As they walked into the courtyard, Kong opened the car door. "No thanks," Adrien waved to him. "We're going to walk." Kong nodded silently and got into the driver seat. He started the engine of the black sedan and started following the couple at a short distance. Adrien sighed in irritation. "I wish for once they'd let me act like a normal teenager."

Marinette looked at him out of the corner or her eye. What do you say in a situation like this? Sorry your dad is ridiculously over protective? She decided to stay silent.

"I just wish he'd see me as a person once in a while." he continued to grumble. The duo happened to be passing one of Adrien's many billboards at that moment. "That's all he really cares about," he gestured to the sign. "How I look; whether I do what I'm told. He only cares about me in relation to how I make him look."

"I'm sure that's not true," attempting to comfort him.

"You've never seen how he really acts. My father is so controlling, everything has to be 'just so'. Honestly I'm surprised that he liked you in the shoot."

"What?" Marinette asked surprised…had she really been that bad?

Adrien realized what the statement sounded like and rushed to quell her fears. "What I mean is that he's always so critical that no one ever is good enough for him." The explanation calmed Marinette's initial unease. "It's not enough that I have good grades, I need perfect grades. It's not enough that I play piano, I need to be fluent in Mandarin too. It's not enough that he controls every aspect of my day, he needs to control my future. I just wish he'd ask me what _I_ want for once."

She had no idea what to say. Adrien's life was so different than hers. His dad seemed to care…just about all the wrong things. Marinette wished there was something she could say that would make it better, but nothing came to mind. Suddenly, she found herself wrapping him in a strong hug. This seemed like the appropriate thing to do as he wrapped his arms around her waist and buried his face in her hair. The smell of vanilla and sugar filled Adrien's senses and he could feel the problems sloughing off of his shoulders. It didn't matter that his dad couldn't seem him as a person…Marinette was here and she could see him. For now, that was enough.

* * *

Chapter title "Rules of Right of Way" are actually a reference to Sabre fencing. Attacks don't count unless you have "right of way"...it's a very weird weapon.


	30. Chapter 30: Your Personal Cat Noir

Sorry for the long hiatus. My husband was laid off and I had food poisoning for almost a week...so the last couple of weeks have been "great". My health insurance is having a bunch of problems and I've being to work late to make up my time that I missed because of the food poisoning. Hopefully I'm on the upturn now.

* * *

Adrien dropped Marinette off at her house and started on his way back. He'd thought about kissing her goodnight, but decided that he didn't want to rush things. This was all so new, he didn't want to mess anything up by jumping in too quickly.

Marinette walked up to her balcony and rested her arms on the railing. She looked out into the night and breathed in the cool air. Tonight was exactly what she'd wanted for so long. She looked up at the sky and the stars even seemed to be shining brighter. How could this get anymore perfect?

The next morning came quickly. Things seemed to be looking up for Marinette…at least until she walked toward school. Several posters for Gabrielle Agreste's new fashion line were plastered over walls and kiosks. Her face looked back at her from enormous posters. Adrien's arms were wrapped around her waist in some of the images as if she were his possession. She couldn't help but blush at the images. As Marinette walked up to the school's courtyard it seemed that all of her classmates turned to gawk at her. The eyes of everyone seemed to be on her and she was incredibly flustered as several students surrounded her.

"Oh my gosh! Marinette you look so pretty in the pictures!"

Another commented, "Did you get to keep the dress?!"

Yet another wanted to know "Are you and Adrien an item?!"

She had no idea what to say and having so many people speaking at once was addling her attempt at a calm facade. Luckily for her, Alya was here to save the day. "All right, all right! Give the girl some air. It's not like you don't see a model every day of the week. I don't see any of you pestering Adrien." Alya gestured in the opposite direction. When everyone looked to see where she implied Adrien was, she grabbed Marinette by the arm and dashed away.

"Alya?" Marinette said in surprise, "Where'd you see Adrien? I wanted to talk to him…"

The girl giggled at her subterfuge, "Adrien's not here yet, I just needed to distract them long enough to extract you."

"You're brilliant." Marinette sighed.

The girl looked quite satisfied with herself, "Would you really expect anything less from moi?" Marinette smiled and shook her head. Before she could say anything Alya pulled a magazine from her back pocket, "I _will_ have to ask you to sign my copy of Vogue though…it's not everyday my BFF makes the cover!" Alya squealed in happiness.

Marinette's jaw dropped at how beautiful she looked. She was wearing the black dress, her arms draped elegantly around Adrien's neck as she showed off the back (or lack there of) of the backless dress. The caption on the cover read, "Agreste's new designs are the cat's MEOW!" Marinette could tell that the magazine had photoshopped the image some, but for the most part it was nearly untouched. Heat rushed to her face, she hadn't realized exactly how sexy the pair's images had ended up looking. She flipped through the magazine searching for the article. She had to know what other pictures they'd chosen. Of course, right on page 27, the coup de grace—the photo of her kissing Adrien. No wonder her classmates had asked if they were an item! She'd wanted to keep their relationship to herself for a little while longer, but the cat was out of the bag now.

Alya handed her a pen, and a bewildered Marinette signed the cover. "Girl, if you didn't have the boys hounding you before, you're going to have to beat them off with a stick now." She chuckled to herself, "Well I guess you've got _Adrien_ to beat them off for you." Marinette smiled shyly, she hadn't kept the date a secret. Per her promise, she'd made sure to call Alya and give her last night's play by play.

The day went by smoothly. Adrien sat in front of her per usual, but she did catch him glancing back at her when he thought Mrs. Boustier wasn't looking. The two met up for lunch and Alya and Nino joined them.

"So it finally happened," Nino smiled, "I was wondering how long he was going to be oblivious—"

His statement was interrupted by a jab to the ribs from Alya's elbow. "What Nino means, is we're happy for you two." Adrien smiled; a warm feeling welled in his chest. His hand covertly found Marinette's. This is what happiness feels like, he thought to himself. The excitement and feeling reminded him of his first transformation into Cat Noir. Everything seemed so new and exciting.

After school the foursome walked toward the bakery for an afternoon treat (Kong trailed behind them as usual in the car). As they turn down Rue Pierre-Lescot, Adrien heard a rustling coming from behind a dumpster in an alley just off of the main thoroughfare. He gave a hand sign to the others to hold up.

"Adrien? What—" Alya started, but he held up his hand to silence her. It seemed that they were being followed. Well…that's what Adrien thought until he rounded the dumpster. Instead of a villain…it was kitten. The small animal looked up at him with large blue eyes, almost pleading with him.

" _Meow?_ " it cried. Adrien melted. He immediately scooped the little tuxedo cat into his arms. Marinette rounded the dumpster at this moment and caught sight of what he was holding. She wasn't a huge cat fan…but who could really resist a kitten?

"Ohmygosh it's so cute!" the girls blurted out in unison.

Nino scoffed at the reaction from the girls as he leaned close to the animal. "Dude, it's just a cat. You girls act like it's the cutest thing on the planet." The small animal sniffed at Nino's face and licked the end of his nose. "Ok… you're right, it is the cutest thing on the planet."

Adrien laughed at his friend's sudden reversal. He looked around for the small animal's mother, but didn't seem to find any indications of another cat. "It was just sitting back here…I wonder where its mother is…"

Alya lifted the kitten out of the blonde boy's arms and looked it over. "It's still pretty small, but I think it's old enough to have been weaned off milk. It might have just wandered away."

"There aren't any apartment buildings on this street," Marinette mentioned. "If it wandered away, it wandered pretty far."

"Well," Alya said, passing the kitten back to Adrien, "Looks like you've acquired your own personal Cat Noir."

Adrien chuckled nervously, like Plagg wasn't trouble enough. Still, this little kitten was too cute to leave alone in an alley. "What should we do with him?"

"Her actually." Alya corrected. She'd taken a moment to glance at the sex when she inspected the little creature.

"I think she's yours dude." Nino said as the four started walking toward the bakery once more.

"I doubt my dad would let me keep her." he responded as the little kitten started to climb up Adrien's shoulder to play with his shirt collar.

"Well, my mom's allergic so I definitely can't take her in." Alya explained. The three teens looked at Marinette expectantly.

She shook her head and held her hands up in protest, "No thanks! She's cute, but I've got enough responsibilities in my life without adding a pet."

At that moment, the kitten rubbed her face deep into Adrien's cheek. Marinette laughed at the display of affection, "I'm not sure she'd want to go home with anyone else anyway. I think you're stuck with her." He smiled at his new responsibility and scratched her chin. "What should I name her?"

As the group walked toward the bakery they spouted out several names, some more ridiculous than others.

"How about Mona Lisa?"

"Meow-na Lisa!"

"Hermoine?"

"You mean Her-meow-onie? Or how about JK Meowing?"

"Cossette?"

"How about Jean Paw Jean"

"Nino, are you going to do that for every name we suggest" Alya asked her boyfriend.

"Oh come on Alya," he said putting his arm around her shoulders, "I'm just kitten around."

The two girls gave him a flat look. They apparently were not amused.

"I think I'm going to name her Bluebell." Adrien said finally. Marinette blushed slightly remembered his Valentine's poem. He didn't seem to notice as he was trying to pull Bluebell out of his hair. The afternoon progressed happily. Since they had Bluebell with them, the group ate their sweets outside the shop. After their snack, Nino walked Alya home, leaving Marinette and Adrien alone…well "alone" with a kitten.

Marinette watching happily as Adrien used a piece of string to play with the kitten. She was so happy she could burst. Somehow, watching him smile at the kitten, everything else melted away. Knowing he was happy made her happy. _This is what happily ever after must feel like_ , she thought to herself. The bell to the shop jingled, interrupting Marionette's thoughts. Her mother poked her head outside to check on the teens. Sabine set down a small plate of canned tuna down next to the kitten. "I thought she could use a little something until you can get cat food." She said to Adrien.

He stood quickly, "You're right! I'm going to need cat food, litter, a litter box…a cat bed," Adrien glanced at his watch, "I better run if I'm going to make it to the pet store before it closes."

"I'll come with you," Marinette prompted. He smiled widely at her. The idea of getting to spend even more time with her made his heart leap, it was so crazy how just being with her could lift his mood. The teens let little Bluebell have a few more bites of food before Adrien picked up her to head to the store. Sabine waved goodbye to the duo, "Be back before 8."

Marinette nodded, and the pair headed in the direction of the pet store. Kong followed behind in the car as usual. As Marinette caught sight of the body guard out of the corner of her eye, she couldn't help but think _That's going to get irritating one day…_

* * *

Sooo many cat puns O_O


	31. Chapter 31:Reassurance

Things are going a little better for me. My OCD is under control and my husband picked up another job. The downside (for you) is that because my OCD is under control, I'm less likely to feel ridiculously compelled to finish this story. I'm trying though, hopefully that's enough.

* * *

The two teens arrived at the pet store with just a half hour to spare. As the employees began cleaning up for closing time, they browsed the aisles.

"Why don't I pick up some litter while you grab some cat food?" Marinette suggested. She hated the idea that they would be making people work late. Adrien nodded at the proposal and started walking down a cat food aisle with Bluebell. After picking up a small litter box and a bag of litter Marinette found Adrien looking very seriously at some cat collars. He held up one to Bluebell that had rhinestones set around it. "What do you think?" he whispered the kitten. She didn't seem to respond. The blonde boy put the collar back and ask the cat's opinion about another collar that had a bell. When the kitten pawed at the bell, he seemed to make a decision. Marinette smiled at the exchange. He doesn't get to make many choices for himself…I guess he doesn't want to subject her to the same treatment. The thought made her sad at his situation, but happy that he was taking his experience and putting it toward something better. She cleared her throat.

"Did you get the cat food?" She asked.

"Yeah," he responded. Mentally he was hoping she didn't see him asking the cat's opinion about collars. Adrien was sure that would be her first hint that he was crazy. "Do you think we should pick up a toy or two?"

She nodded, "Yeah, it'd probably be best if she has something to play with while you're at school." He nodded to the suggestion and they made their way to the cat toy aisle.

The two teens tested out several playthings with the kitten and finally decided on a toy mouse that smelled like catnip and a laser pointer. As they made their way to the front Marinette eyed the blue collar with the silver bell. "Bluebell seems to really like the collar she picked out…"

"Yeah I think—" Adrien started and blushed madly…"You saw that, huh?"

She nodded, "I think it's sweet."

He shrugged back at her, "I figure if she's going to be wearing it the majority of the time, it's unfair to stick her with something that she hates."

Marinette smiled at him, "I completely agree."

After they checked out and started walking toward Adrien's house, Marinette looked over her shoulder. "Will Kong tell your dad about the kitten? You said you didn't think he'd let you keep her."

He shrugged again, "I don't think Kong would say anything. As long as I'm not injured I'm not sure he's required to tell my Dad anything."

"What if he does tell your dad? Wouldn't he make you get rid of her?"

His shoulders shrugged again, "He'd have to actually notice first…" Marinette looked at him sadly and he continued, "I could probably hide your whole family in our house for a month before he even noticed that we were consuming more food than usual. The only reason he even recognizes I'm there is when he needs me for something." Adrien's expression became bitter and Marinette couldn't stop herself from placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. He noticed her concern and tried to placate her, "It's fine, really. It makes it easier to get away with things like this." he said with a mischievous smile.

Marinette smiled at him in return. Maybe things would be fine, she thought. As they reached the steps of the Agreste mansion Adrien stopped and said, "Kong can drive you back. I appreciate you helping me out with the shopping."

She blushed at the compliment, "Anytime." He leaned toward her, her lips so close. She closed her eyes in expectation…only to be disappointed. Instead of Adrien's lips, she felt a cat's paw on her cheek. She opened her eyes to see that Bluebell had inserted herself in between the couple. Adrien laughed nervously, but couldn't help but think it was some sort of sign. He opened his back pack and delicately placed Bluebell inside, on top of the cat food and litter. His back pack bulged as he closed it delicately. "Kong can take you back home…I'd hate for you to be late." he finished.

She nodded back at him and made her way to the black sedan. As she made her way inside, she gave her address to Kong. Without word he drove her toward her destination. The silence seemed unbearable and she wondered how Adrien dealt with it on a day to day basis. "You won't tell Mr. Agreste…right?" Marinette asked.

Kong looked at her in the rear view mirror. When he didn't say anything, she continued, "I know that Mr. Agreste probably isn't a cat person, but I really think that Adrien could use a a companion…"

Kong blinked at her meaningfully in the mirror and she sighed relieved. "Thanks" she replied. "I worry about him sometimes."

Surprised flashed across her face when she heard, "We all worry about him." From the driver. Marinette wasn't sure what to say to that, so she stayed silent. The rest of the drive passed quietly as she hoped to hear something else from the ever elusive man. No other exchange was had as Marinette arrived at her destination. She smiled quickly at the driver hoping to get some response. As usual, his face was flat and unmoved. As he drove away, she couldn't help but wonder about the man that drove that car. He seemed invested in Adrien's life, but at other times he seemed so emotionless. Could she trust him to keep Adrien's secret? She could only hope.


	32. Chapter 32: Movie Hopping

I was looking through the netflix schedule for June and no Ladybug is listed! Arg! I was banking on June! I suppose on the bright side I've got time to finish my story before the new season makes it obsolete.

* * *

Chapter 32

Adrien got the little kitten settled in his room, setting up a litter box and a small cat bed. He carefully conceal them both, one under his desk and the other on the far side of his bed, blocked from intrusive views from the hall. As he worked Bluebell wandered the landscape. Plagg was not far behind her.

"What in the world did you bring _that_ home for?!" he whined at Adrien.

"She was lost." He replied, not even looking up from his task. "She needs me."

"She needs to get out of here. This is a duo, not a trio." The last comment he aimed at the little kitten's face, shaking his arm in a taunting way. She gave him a questioning look, obviously not understanding a word he was saying.

"Look on the bright side Plagg," Adrien said over his shoulder, "She doesn't eat Camembert, so more for you."

Plagg considered this carefully, but shook his head. "Even so—what if you dad finds out?"

The blonde boy laughed at this, "He barely acknowledges that _I_ live here…I doubt he's going to notice her." At this comment, Bluebell decided that Plagg needed to be investigated. She licked the side of his face forcefully in an attempt to classify him. The action stunned the kwami. Blush tried to make it's way into his dark black cheeks and he whispered under his breath…"maybe we could be a trio…" He patted the small animal's head bashfully, but was immediately greeted with a strong nuzzle.

Adrien caught the kwami smiling, "See she's not so bad."

—

The next few days flew by. Adrien and Marinette were hardly able to see each other at all. Adrien's schedule was, as usual, packed. With Bluebell taking up additional time in his life, there wasn't much time to spend with his girlfriend. On top of being a regular teenager, he still was trying to keep up his patrols around the city as Cat Noir. He hadn't seen Ladybug since the Bridezilla incident. Paris at night didn't feel quite the same without the familiar heroine swinging through the city on patrol. While sitting atop the Eiffel Tower one night, he thought he caught a glimpse of her on a nearby roof top. If it had been her, she'd seen him and bolted the other direction. Cat Noir felt a twinge of guilt in his chest. Since he'd had some time to cool down and heal, he found he wasn't so hurt as he was before. Having Marinette in his life had seemed to be the healing support he needed. She was so understanding and perceptive, ' _and…miraculous_ ' he thought smiling to himself.

It'd been 4 days since Bluebell came into his life when Marinette passed him a note in class. " _Dinner w/ me tonight?_ " He frowned sadly and wrote, _"can't promised guys' night at movies"_

Tikki popped her head of Marinette's purse. "Are you ok Marinette? You look a little depressed."

Marinette shrugged sadly as she walked toward home, "I'm just disappointed I guess. I'd hoped that when I became Adrien's girlfriend that I'd get to spend more time with him, but he has so little time to spare. I suppose he can't spend all his free time with me, but—" she considered what she wanted to say for a moment, "I'm a little jealous that Nino gets to hang out with him tonight when I know it's going to be the only night this week he has free. Does it make me a bad person that I don't want to share?"

Tikki giggled, "Of course not Marinette! Wanting to spend more time with someone you like isn't selfish. It would be different if you told him that he couldn't hang out with Nino because he's your boyfriend and he has to spend all of his time with you. Even though you want to spend time with him, you're still letting him live his own life. It's good that you let him make his own decisions." Marinette smiled, mentally thanking whatever power there was that gave such a sweet kwami to her. _Tikki is like my own personal life cheerleader_ she thought happily.

Marinette reached home to find her mother ordering take out over the phone. It was a bit peculiar, as her parents were normally excited to cook. "Take out?" Marinette questioned.

Sabine shrugged, "I thought if it's just the two of us tonight it'd be easier to just have some take out and watch a movie."

"Just the two of us? Where's Dad tonight?" It was rare that he spent much time outside the bakery.

"Hanging out with a friend." she explained. "They decided to go see that new spy movie…and you know how I feel about spy movies." Sabine rolled her eyes at the thought. Marinette giggled, her mother detested spy movies saying ' _it's the same plot over and over._ ' Which was funny as that was exactly how her father felt about romantic comedies. She politely declined her mother's offer to watch a movie as she had some math homework that was going to take a while. After eating dinner with her mother she retired to her room as her mother settled in to a watch a cheesy romantic comedy.

The math homework didn't take as long as she'd originally thought it would and shel felt a little bad that she'd turned her mom down on the movie. After remembering what movie her mom was watching she felt less bad. Marinette liked romantic comedies only a little more than her father did. Since she had a little time before she needed to hit the hay for the night, she decided to take a quick city patrol. "Tikki spots on!"

The cool night air hit her in the face as Marinette launched herself from the roof. She loved being Ladybug. The rush and exhilaration of swinging through the city was unmatched by anything else. She stood atop an I-beam on the Eiffel tower and looked over the city, her city. She smiled at the Parisians going about their nightly business. A year ago, if she had known she would be responsible for so many people's lives she would have cowered under her bed. After getting her miraculous, meeting Alya and Adrien…the world was so different. Now, instead of the responsibility seeming oppressing, it felt like it gave her an anchor. Before she felt as if she were being swept along without direction, but after becoming Ladybug she knew she had purpose and direction. It was a good feeling. She swung through the city, her hair whipping around her ears and looking for any signs of trouble. Soon she found herself on top of the movie theater and Adrien came to mind. ' _He said that he and Nino were going to a movie…maybe I can catch a glimpse of him…_ ' she thought to herself.

Ladybug let herself in through a rooftop door and walked her way down a hallway that lead to a set of projection rooms. Luckily, none of the staff seemed to be around. One by one, she poked her head into the project rooms to see what was playing. The first was a kid's cartoon…probably not the guys' first choice. The second was a cheesy romance movie… _definitely not that one_ , she thought. The third was some spy movie. Realizing this was probably his theater, she snuck her way through the dark and into the cinema. In the flashing half light of movie screen Ladybug was able to pick out Adrien's silhouette, next to a very familiar silhouette—that was not Nino's.

* * *

dun dun _DUN_! Til next time.


	33. Chapter 33: Lessons in Sharing

Ladybug swung from rooftop to rooftop, tears burned in her eyes. He lied to me! She thought angrily. In a tumble she landed on her own rooftop. He doesn't really like me at all she thought sadly. He was just using me this whole time…

School was the last place Marinette wanted to be. She knew she would have to sit behind him and pretend that everything was fine. Alya could see that something was wrong right away, but Marinette didn't have time to tell her anything as class started just after she arrived. Mrs. Bustier droned on for what felt like an age. Alya tried to pass a few notes to Marinette, but all she could get out of the teen was "it's too much to explain on paper" Resolving to get the whole story out of her at lunch Alya attempted to pay attention to the lecture. It was hard to concentrate when her friend seemed so upset. It wasn't often that Marinette's eyes were rimmed red and she couldn't image what could possibly have went so terribly wrong between yesterday afternoon and this morning. Finally the class broke for lunch and Marinette made her way to the door.

"Marinette, wait up" Adrien started. Before he could say more his girlfriend had already ducked out of the room.

"What's with her?" Nino ask. Adrien shrugged in reply.

Alya followed closely after her friend and as soon as they were a little ways away from the classroom she turned Marinette to face her, "Ok girl, spill."

"Adrien was just using me this whole time!" the dark haired girl blurted out.

Alya was so taken aback she couldn't help but shake her head in confusion, "You lost me…what?"

"Adrien! He doesn't really like me…he's just using me." Tears pricked the edge of Marinette's vision and she dropped her head into her hands as she sat on a nearby bench.

"Adrien doesn't really seem the type sweetie…"Alya said trying to reassure her.

Marinette sniffed loudly. "I caught him in an outright lie."

"What happened? Start from the beginning."

"I asked him yesterday if he would like to eat dinner with me, but he wrote back that he was going to see a movie with Nino. I thought it wasn't that big of a deal, but then I realized that he wasn't really hanging out with Nino…he just said that so he could ditch me."

"So wait…he wasn't hanging out with Nino last night?" Alya confirmed. _Nino told me he was going to see a movie with Adrien…_ She would definitely have to talk to her own boyfriend about _his_ deception. She tried not to get too sidetracked while trying to comfort her friend. "So he was just watching a movie by himself? I suppose people want time to themselves occasionally—"

"He wasn't alone!" Marinette said, not looking up.

"You're kidding! Don't tell me he was with Chloe!"

This made Marinette look up, "Why would he be with Chloe?" Alya looked at her confused, _who else would he be cheating on Marinette with?_ "He was with MY DAD!" Marinette whined.

"Oh….ok?" Alya said _…what do you say to that?_ "Is that a problem?"

Marinette stood up to face her friend, "Of course it's a problem!" When Alya didn't immediately respond, Marinette spelled it out for her. "Adrien wasn't interested in me at first. It wasn't until he started hanging out with my family that he decided to ask me out on a date. He's not interested in me at all, he's just dating me so he can hang out with my parents!"

Alya laughed, "Girl you've got to be kidding me!" Marinette gave her a flat look. "If he just wanted to hang out with your parents, why would he need to date you? Couldn't he just hang out with your parents on his own?"

"Don't you think a teenage boy suddenly wanting to hang out with 40-somethings a little strange?"

Alya cleared her throat awkwardly, "Maybe…I guess?"

"But if he's dating their daughter, it wouldn't be weird at all to spend time with them. He lied to me Alya. He told me he couldn't eat with me because he was going to be with Nino and he ditched me for MY DAD!"

It was at this horribly inopportune time that Adrien decided to walk up. "Hey Girls! Marinette I was wondering if—" he was cut off by Marinette dashing out of the building. He looked to Alya, "Um…what's going on?"

Alya huffed at him, "Obviously she's mad that you _lied_ about where you were last night!" Adrien looked at her confused, but before he could ask anymore questions Alya turned to leave, "I have to talk to Nino." she said curtly. Suddenly Adrien was alone and very confused. He dialed his girlfriend's number. When Marinette picked up all she said was, "I can't talk to you right now! How could you ditch me like that?!" The line clicked and the call went dead. Adrien leaned against the nearest wall, unsure of what was going on. All he knew was that Marinette seemed to think he lied to her about… _something_ , and now she was mad.

Before he could really process what it was all about someone else leaned against the wall next to him. "Trouble in paradise?" the voice said. Adrien turned to see Chloe standing next to him, carefully not looking at him.

"Things are fine Chloe," he said trying to reassure himself more than her.

Still without looking at him, she said, "Sounds to me like she's really mad."

He rubbed the back of his neck, "I'm sure it's just a misunderstanding…"

"Do you want to talk about it?" She still hadn't looked at him. It seemed almost as if she didn't want anyone to know she was talking to him. It occurred to him that since he'd yelled at her a few weeks ago, she'd been avoiding him. He'd made a mess of her image and here she was talking to him of her own accord. It suddenly dawned on him that she was attempting to be comforting. He smiled, "Thanks Chlo, but I think I need to talk to Marinette." she shrugged in reply. He remembered the harsh words he'd said to her and couldn't help but feel he should make amends. "Chloe…Thanks. I really appreciate you offering an ear. I've been really wanting to apologize for what I said. You've been there for me when I needed you." Chloe finally turned to face him. "It's just that, when it was just you and me hanging out I felt like you cared about me as a person, but when I started school every time you talked to me, you acted like knowing me was some sort of status symbol." Chloe looked at her feet. She knew that she'd pushed the issue. Adrien continued, "You were one of the few people that treated me like a person and then when I started here it felt like you were treating me like a tool to make you popular. It's really made me question our friendship."

"I'm sorry," she mumbled quietly. If Adrien hadn't been so focused on her he'd have never heard it.

"Me too," he replied, "But right now I think I've got to calm down my girlfriend." Chloe nodded silently as the boy she loved ran after another girl. A spot in her chest ached and she violently pushed the feeling down. _I'm strong_ , she thought to herself, _I don't need anyone_.

Adrien raced toward the bakery, assuming that's the only place that Marinette would go. He burst through the door and Sabine without a word pointed him toward the attic staircase. He assumed her daughter's distress had been obvious. Carefully he climbed the staircase and knocked on the hatch. "Marinette? It's me."

He poked his head through the hatch to see her climbing to the roof. "Marinette wait!"

"I can't talk to you right now!" she shouted at him, refusing to look in his direction.

"Why not? At least tell me why you're so upset!" he called after her.

Her voice rang down from the roof, "You know why!"

He huffed at the statement and started climbing to the roof. "If I knew why I wouldn't have asked!" As he emerged from her room he saw her standing at the railing, her back to him. "Just tell me what's going on and we can talk about it…or I can leave you alone to cool down. But I need to know what's going on or I can't fix it." As he said this he tried to get a look at her face. Every time he tried to get her to look at him, she turned away. "Marinette look at me!" he said grabbing her wrist and forcefully turning her to face him. Her face was red and streaked with tears. "Marinette! What's wrong?" Seeing her this way broke something in him. He could feel his throat tighten…was this really his fault?

The question and finally looking at him made Marinette's small amount of composure break. Her nose was running and she let out a few shuddering sobs. Unable to control himself, Adrien gathered her in his arms. She didn't have to heart to resist as he wrapped her in a hug. She cried into his shoulder and let his shirt muffle her whimpers. After a few minutes, her tears lessened and she was able to pull herself together. She pushed herself away from Adrien and leaned against the railing.

He put a reassuring hand on her back, "Can you tell me what's up now?"

She looked at him, her eyes now reflecting anger. "What's wrong is that you lied to me."

"I've never lied to you, why would you think that?"

"Yesterday, I asked if you wanted to eat dinner with me and you said you were going to a movie with Nino."

"I didn't—"

"You went to a movie but you didn't take Nino! You ditched me to hang out with my DAD!"

"—How do you know I was hanging out with Tom? Were you spying on me?"

"Yes!—I mean no! Look, it's not about how I know you lied to me, it's the fact that you lied!"

"I didn't lie to you. I told you I was having a guy's night at the movies. It was going to be me, Nino and Tom, but Nino had to back out at the last minute. His mom was called into work and he had to babysit."

Marinette's thundering rage rumbled down to a squeak. He hadn't lied…she'd just assumed that he was going to hang out with just Nino, and now she'd called him liar. _He's never going to forgive me,_ she thought anxiously. She squirmed under his irritated gaze. "Why were you spying on me?"

"I wasn't _intentionally_ spying on you. I just really wanted to see you last night and I _happened_ to be near the theater…"

"You don't trust me."

"That's not it!" Marinette said quickly. How had this argument gotten so turned around?

"You don't trust me, if you did you wouldn't have immediately assumed I'd lied to you."

"No! I just…I guess I was afraid that you didn't really like me."

"What?! When have I ever given you that impression?"

"You haven't exactly…it's just you seem to like my parents more than you like me and when I saw you and my dad spending time together…" she looked at her feet, unable to look him in face, "I guess I jumped to the conclusion that you were using me to spend time with them…"

"Marinette, that's ridiculous. You're parents are amazing, but so are you." He tilted her head up so he could look her in the eyes. "I would have never asked you out if I didn't care about you. If I wanted to just hang out with your folks I'm sure they wouldn't mind letting me wash dishes with them every day.

She smiled sadly, "I guess…"

"No guessing. I like you, please get it into your head. Also…please don't spy on me again. Kong feels like enough of a stalker without adding my girlfriend to the mix."

She went right back to looking at her feet. "I'm really sorry, I never meant for any of this to happen, I just wanted to spend more time with you…"

He leaned next to her on the railing. "I know my schedule is tight, but I'm doing my best—"

"No! It's not your fault." she assured him, "I knew you had a crazy schedule before we got involved…I'm just sort of…the jealous type."

Adrien mocked surprise, "You don't say!"

She gave him a playful push and suddenly the mood seemed to lighten. She watched him from the corner of her eye as his hair was blown by the wind. _I have to be more careful_ , she thought to herself, _I can't mess this up!_

"How about we make a promise to not lie to each other?" Adrien found himself saying. "Will that put your mind at ease?"

She gave a slight nod. "Good," Adrien said, "No lies between us." While the words came out easily, Adrien could feel his skin crawl as he said it. Did secrets count as lies? If so, he'd have to pray she never figured out who Cat Noir really is.

Even as she agreed to the pact, Marinette could feel the skin on the back of her neck prickle…she'd have to hope he never caught her as Ladybug, he'd never forgive her for a lie that big.

* * *

enjoy!


	34. Chapter 34: Playing Hooky

The next few chapters have a lot of timing issues, so it may be a little while before I get them all hammered out just right. On the bright side, we're finally going to be getting to the climax...something I honestly thought I would get to 15 chapters ago! When I get those chapters figured out you might get a multi-chapter update.

* * *

Adrien watched Marinette as she looked out over the city. The wind gently rustled her bangs and he could feel he chest tighten. She caught him looking at her and she smiled nervously. He couldn't help it, he could feel himself leaning toward her. Her lips, light pink, seemed to call to him. Marinette seemed to sense his intentions and started to close her eyes. A moment before their lips touched they were interrupted by a shout of "You're going to be late back to school!" from Marinette's mother. The two teens jerked away from each other, hearts pounding in unison.

Adrien rubbed the back of his neck bashfully, "I guess we'll have to try that some other time…" Marinette nodded embarrassed. Inside she wanted to scream at her mother. Between her parents and Bluebell, Marinette was starting to think the world didn't want her to kiss Adrien.

After grabbing a few pastries from the shop they briskly walked back to school. Adrien's hand was warm in hers and she found it hard to believe that just an hour ago they were fighting. Hopefully all our fights will end this quickly she thought to herself.

As they were about a block from school when Adrien stopped. "What's wrong?" she asked.

He paused for a moment and took a long look at her. "Nothing."

She waited for him to say more, but when he didn't she raised an eyebrow at him. "Is that bad?"

"No, it's great…so great in fact," he said looking at her mischievously, "I don't want it to end. How about we skip the rest of the afternoon?"

Marinette was surprised. Adrien had always been so 'by the rules' she couldn't believe that he was suggesting that they skip class. Not that he hadn't skipped before, but Marinette had always assumed something had popped up in his schedule. Adrien's hand squeezed hers, "What do you say m'lady?"

Marinette's heart did a flipflop and she didn't trust herself not to stutter, so she just nodded. Together the pair head off toward the center of the city.

They walked in a comfortable silence toward the Eiffel tower. Adrien's hand felt warm in hers and she gently laid her head on his shoulder as they walk toward the landmark. "Was the movie good?" she asked.

Adrien broke away from her, his face lighting up, "It was so amazing!" he saw a thin branch roughly the size of his bo staff laying in the bushes nearby. He picked it up and started miming a scene from the movie. "Monsieur Spy was surround by six goons that were trying to keep him from rescuing Lady Lovely. The first guy dashed at him and Monsieur Spy kicked off of him and did a back flip to land behind the second guy," Adrien did a quick front kick and a back flip. "He kicked that guy in the back and knocked out the guys on the left and right with a quick twist of the bo staff," Marinette's eyes widened as her boyfriend continued to mimic the scene. "Then at last he took out the last two guys with a right round house kick that flowed into a left round house kick." He did these moves as well, finally straightening to look her. Marinette's eyes were wide. When she didn't say anything for a moment, a small bit of embarrassment creeped into Adrien's brain. _She probably thinks I'm a total dork for acting it out that…_ he thought. But suddenly Marinette started clapping excitedly.

"That was AWESOME! I didn't know you knew martial arts too! How long have you been practicing with a bo staff?!"

Adrien blushed furiously, he hadn't expected that she would be so impressed. "I guess I've been practicing for about 6 months. I don't really have an instructor, so I've been figuring it out on my own."

"That's so cool," Marinette said, taking his hand again. The two started walking again, watching the people in the square as they went about their business. "I love people watching." Marinette stated. Adrien nodded in agreement. A mother with a baby carriage walked briskly by, she seemed like she had somewhere to be. Adrien looked after the woman sadly.

"You ok?" Marinette asked, observing his change in mood.

He shook his head, "Yeah I'm fine…" Marinette raised an eyebrow at him. He caved, "I guess i was just thinking about my mom." Marinette, squeezed his hand in encouragement. "She still hasn't contacted me."

"Do you want to talk about it? I don't know much about the situation…but I can listen if you want."

Adrien smiled sadly at her, "About eight months ago, she just…left. The night before, she told me she loved me, and that she'd see me soon. The next morning she was just…gone. When I asked my Dad about it, he just said that she went to visit my Grandmother. I called my Grandma and she didn't know what I was talking about. My mother's phone has been disconnected since the day she left. My father says that she doesn't care about us and that's why she left…but I just can't believe that. I mean, when she was with me, she acted like I was _her entire world._ She homeschooled me _herself_ for 15 years. How do you spend 8-12 hours a day with someone for 15 years only to decide that you'll leave without an explanation?

Marinette didn't have an answer, so she stayed silent. Adrien continued, "I really thought she'd call on my birthday…but there was nothing. I'd hoped then that maybe she'd contact on Christmas, but there was still nothing." He turned to look her in the face then, "Do you think…she's dead?"

"No!" Marinette said reflexively. "I'm sure she's ok."

He looked down, "Then why hasn't she contacted us? I mean I know that my father isn't the easiest person to get along with, but I don't understand why she's refusing to contact me." The two sat in silence for a little while, but then he voiced another theory, "Sometimes…I wonder if my Dad killed her."

"What!?" Marinette shrieked. "He wouldn't—he _couldn't_!"

Adrien looked at her sadly, "People have done it before…and he's never reported her missing."

Marinette wrapped her arms around him in a hug, "I'm sure that she has her reasons why she left, and why she hasn't contacted you."

He held her, feeling her warmth…the smell of vanilla and sugar overwhelming him and quelling the worries in his chest. As the pulled out of the hug he looked at her, "Thanks. You always know how to make me feel better…"

She blushed madly, "Well-I um, good—I guess, talking?"

He laughed at the word salad, "That is so cute."

"What is?" Marinette asked surprised.

"The way you mix up your words when you get flustered."

She giggled nervously, "You can't be serious."

"No, I really like it. It's adorable." The two feel back into a comfortable silence again and found a nice bench to sit on. Marinette laid her head on his shoulder and they watched the people walk by.


	35. Chapter 35: A Bad Influence

It'd seemed like the afternoon had just started when Adrien's watch started beeping.

"Crap! I'm late for fencing!" They jumped to their feet and rushed toward the school. It took almost 20 minutes to get back to the building and Adrien's fencing instructor was less than happy to have been kept waiting.

"Where were you?!" Monsieur D'Argencourt asked sternly.

"I—um…got lost?"

"Coming from your homeroom? …it's 20 yards away."

Adrien gulped, "Yeah?"

"Adrien, if you do not wish to continue our one on one lessons, I would prefer if you would just say so. This is the third time this month you've been late. If you're not going to take this seriously, why should I continued to provide my instruction?" He turned to go.

"No! Please, I care about fencing! I just got caught up in what I was doing and didn't realize how late in the day it was." Adrien pleaded.

His teacher turned back to him. "No more tardiness. No more leaving early. When you are here, your mind will be here."

Adrien nodded furiously, "Yes sir!"

D'Argencourt noticed Marinette standing off to the side, she'd accompanied Adrien back to the school. He pointed to her, "I suppose you're the reason he lost track of time?"

"I—well, um.."

"As I thought. Idiots in _love_. " He turned back to Adrien, "Your father will hear of this."

 _So much for a fun afternoon_ , Adrien thought to himself. Marinette left shortly afterwards, meeting up with Alya to get notes from the classes they missed. Adrien did his best to focus on the here and now, but he had a horrible feeling in his chest of what would happen when his father realized that he'd skipped school, and for good reason.

* * *

"What were you thinking?!" Gabrielle shouted at his son. "Why would you skip your classes?"

Adrien rubbed the back of his neck, trying to think of an excuse that would appease his dad. "My schedule has been so busy lately…I just needed a break. I thought I could take off an afternoon…" His father paced back and forth in front of his office desk, reminding him of a caged tiger; his anger seethed.

"You begged me. Begged! To be allowed to attend public school. You insisted that you could keep up with all of your extracurricular activities and now, not only are you skipping the classes you begged me to take, now you're missing your extracurriculars too. What were you thinking?!"

When his father put it like that, he couldn't help but feel ashamed. He had begged to go to school and now he was skipping to be with Marinette. Adrien felt like he was being pulled in a dozen different directions and honestly all he wanted to do was sit down and not have anyone expect anything of him for a moment.

His father continued, "What's worse is Monsieur D'Argencourt told me there was this _girl_ with you! Did _she_ put you up to this? She's bad influence! You're not to see her again."

Any guilt Adrien might have had was suddenly gone. His actions had been rash, but they were his actions and no one else's. His father had gone too far by accusing Marinette. "Of course Marinette didn't put me up to anything! I asked her to skip with _me_! If anything, I'm the bad influence. Marinette is amazing and I'm lucky to have her as a girlfriend."

Gabrielle hadn't been looking directly at Adrien when this was said, but the word 'girlfriend' whipped his head around. "Girlfriend?! Who said that you could date?"

Adrien couldn't believe what he was hearing. He'd never even considered that his father would be against him dating anyone. It'd never occurred to him that it would be a problem. "Why do you care?"

"I'm your father, I care! You're not to see this, whoever she is, again. She's just a girl and she's distracting you. Do you hear me?"

This whole time Adrien had been sitting in one of the nearby chairs in his father's office while he received his scolding like a good little dog…but this was too much. "You've met Marinette, multiple times. She isn't just some girl."

"I've definitely never met whoever this girl is."

Adrien leaned forward and pulled one of the photo shoot images off his desk and throws it at his father's face, "That's amazing you don't recognize her since you've had her pictures on your desk for weeks! But I shouldn't be surprised since you can't even be bothered to remember her name. In fact I shouldn't be surprised since you don't even bother to acknowledge most people's existence."

Gabrielle was taken aback, "How dare you. You are my son and you will not speak to me this way!"

Something jarred loose in Adrien, some emotion that had been nailed down for too long. Normally he would have submitted to his father's will, but his words struck a nerve and it was something that couldn't be held back any longer. " _Your son?_ Is that what I am? Are you sure you don't mean that I'm your _plaything_? You treat me like an object, like I'm some sort of doll that you can dress up in your fashions and be schlepped along without any thoughts of my own. You push your dreams and aspirations on me like I couldn't possibly want anything for myself. You've never once asked me what I want out of my life, or what I want to do. If you really cared about me you would talk to me, you would listen to me, you would care!

"I care—" he started.

"No! You don't. You care about how I make _you_ look. You only care that I continue to be perfect. I used to think that you cared about me, but weren't sure how to show it…but then I met a real family. People who want to know what I think, how I feel, what I want. You've never even once asked me how my day was, you simply fill my schedule. You don't care about anyone but yourself." Adrien's voice became icy and he turned from his father, "This is why Mom left." Without allowing Gabrielle even a moment to retort he left the room, slamming the office door behind him.

* * *

Oh man, I'm sooo excited. The next chapter is the beginning of what I actually started the fic for. It's the first chapter I thought of and I'm so happy to finally get to it. 35 chapters in and it's been a trek.


	36. Chapter 36: Runaway

Oh my God I'm so glad I finally got to this chapter O_O This felt like an eternity. Of course, I've been writing this fic for almost 4 months now...so it's practically an eternity. lol

* * *

Adrien rushed up to his room and slammed the door. Plagg popped out of his collared shirt and wafted around his face. "Wow!" he giggled mischievously, "You really went at him! I've never seen you this mad!"

Adrien glared at the kwami, "Why are you so giddy?"

"Because you finally stood up for yourself! He had it coming."

Normally by this time, having his actions replayed back to him, Adrien would have felt guilty…but he still felt indignant. And honestly, it felt good to get it off his chest. All the years of submission had built up and finally exploded. Now that the pressure had released he felt…kind of good. Admittedly, he was still righteously angry and he didn't see that dissipating anytime soon. At least until Bluebell let out a little meow.

Suddenly the anger was quelled as his attention was pulled to the little animal. She scratched enthusiastically behind her ear, making the little bell on her collar ring. He smiled sadly at her, "At least he didn't find you. He'd probably throw me out if he'd realized that on top of everything, I've been hiding a cat in here." As he bent down to pet the cat's face, the thought occurred to him… _He doesn't need to throw me out…I could leave. Mom did_. Before he really dwelled on the idea, he was already acting it out. Grabbing his back pack he started shoving items into it. He put some cat food and camembert in the bag. Adding his tooth brush and some toiletries, he noticed that his clean clothes were still sitting on his bed, waiting to be folded. Not bothering to fold the laundry, he grabbed several lumps and shoved them into the bag as well.

"Um what are you doing?" Plagg asked.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm leaving."

"To go where?" the kwami asked, this seemed sort of out of character for the straight-laced teen.

Adrien sighed "Anywhere else. Somewhere that I'll be welcome and be able to choose my own path." Plagg started to look at him confused, but before he could say another word Adrien said, "Plagg, claws out." The kwami was pulled into the Miraculous and Adrien transformed into Cat Noir. Bluebell was naturally frightened and hid under Adrien's bed. After a few minutes he was able to coerce the little kitten out and picked her up. Pulling on his back pack and making sure that Bluebell was securely situated in his arms, he leapt from his window.

* * *

Marinette was going over Alya's notes for the day. It luckily seemed like they hadn't missed much during the afternoon lessons. Mostly it was going back over a few math problems from the previous day and recap-ing the physics equations. As she was halfway down the page of notes, there was a knock at the door. Marinette glanced at the clock, 10:00 PM…who would be coming over so late? She thought. She'd promised the notes back to Alya in the morning so it definitely wasn't her. The knock came again more urgently and she heard her mother open the door.

Sabine opened the door to find Adrien looking like a lost puppy on her doorstep. "Adrien? Is everything ok?" She said the words, but she felt she already knew the answer.

He scratched the back of his neck shamefully, "Not really…I had a huge fight with my dad. I know this is short notice, but could I stay here for the night?" Sabine was speechless. When she didn't say anything immediately, Adrien backed up a few steps, "I'm sorry, this was stupid. Your family has already been so kind to me, I can't really expect you to take me in—"

Sabine wrapped her arms around the boy, "Nonsense," she said, "You're family. You are always welcome here." It was then she noticed the little kitten squirming in Adrien's shirt. "You're friends are also welcome," she said smiling. Sabine lead Adrien into the foyer where they heard Marinette's voice coming toward them. "Adrien?! Are you ok? What's going on?" Marinette asked.

"Here, I'll take her." Sabine said pulling a frightened Bluebell off of his shirt where she'd dug her claws in.

Adrien looked at Marinette, "Sorry to barge in so late."

"Adrien is going to stay the night." Sabine explained.

Her eyes widened, "Um..what?"

Sabine walked to the other room to make up a place on the couch for Adrien while the two teens talked. "I had a fight with my dad." he clarified. "I said a whole lot of things I'm sure he didn't want to hear and…I just couldn't stay there. And this was best place I could think of to crash for the night."

"Are you saying you _ran away_?"

Adrien laughed without humor, "I guess you could put it like that. I just need time to cool off and decide what I'm going to do."

"What do you mean? You can't just leave and not tell your dad—"

"My mom did." he interrupted. There was nothing she could say to that. Marinette was terrified for him. What would this mean for his and his father's relationship? Would his father pull him out of school? Would he have to stop seeing her? She couldn't bare to voice the worries. He needed her right now, that's why he was here. She had to be strong for him. Smiling sadly, she took his hand and lead him to the kitchen.

"Have you eaten dinner?" She asked, "I think we have some leftovers."

He smiled at her, "I would love some leftovers."

As Marinette began reheating some leftover Chicken Marengo, Adrien settled down at the table. "So tell me about the fight." Marinette requested, but then realized how forward it sounded. "I mean if you want to talk about it! I mean, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

"He just blew up about missing class and being late, I figured he'd freak out."

Marinette raised an eyebrow, "That doesn't sound like enough to make you run away."

He sighed and poked at his food. "He accused you of being a bad influence on me and told me that I had to do what he wanted because I was his son. Like he's ever treated me as something besides one of his models he can push around." He finally looked up at her, "He told me I had to stop seeing you."

Marinette's chest ached. Things had finally started looking up, and now it was all rushing downhill so quickly. "What did you say?" She could barely keep her voice level. What if Adrien broke up with her?

"I basically told him that you were the best thing in my life and I slammed the door…now I'm here."

Her face felt flushed, Adrien had picked _her_ over his father! She had no idea what to say, but she tried. "Is there anything I can do?"

He reached over and clasped her hand, "You're doing it. Just keep being you and I'll keep being me, and I'll have to hope things work out for the best." The two sat in silence as he finished up his meal. Sabine came in shortly after to tell them that she'd made up the couch for him to sleep on. Adrien and Marinette followed her into the living room.

"Try to stay quiet, Tom has been asleep for an hour and he can be grumpy if he doesn't get at least 6 hours."

Adrien nodded, "Thanks again Sabine, I really appreciate you opening your home to me."

She brushed his comments away, "You're the son I never had, our home is your home. The couch is yours for as long as you need it."

"Thanks" he said. Adrien picked up his back pack and started pulling out the contents looking for his PJs and tooth brush. The rain of clothing delighted the kitten as she started playing with the loose fabric. Adrien didn't pay her much mind, but Sabine rushed right in and picked her up quickly. She pulled a long piece of blue fabric away from the creature. It was the scarf that Adrien had received for his birthday from his father. A lump formed in his throat, he hadn't even realized he grabbed it. For just a moment, he remembered how happy he'd felt receiving that scarf. It was something his father had actually put thought into for once… _maybe I was too harsh on him he thought._ The thought was quickly interrupted.

"Goodness, she almost ruined Marinette's scarf!" Sabine said, carefully checking the fabric for claw marks.

"Actually, that's my scarf." Adrien said, "My dad gave it to me."

"No, this is definitely the scarf Marinette made you for your birthday." Sabine insisted. Behind Adrien, Marinette's eyes widened and her heart raced, she frantically tried to signal her mother. "I would recognize the stitching anywhere." She held the scarf at an angle showing Adrien both ends of the scarf lined up next to each other. Separate, the ends simply looked like they had decorative stitching, but when placed together it made a familiar design, "See, Marinette always signs her work."

Marinette's heart fell into her stomach, she felt like throwing up. She couldn't bare to look at Adrien, but when she did, she wished she hadn't.

Adrien pushed by Sabine, confronting Marinette, "Why didn't you tell me?!"

"I-well-you…your dad. I put a post it note on it—" she fumbled under his gaze.

Emotions welled up in Adrien, he was angry, he felt betrayed, but mostly he was hurt, "You promised you wouldn't lie to me…" Without another word Adrien ran from the house. Marinette tried to follow, but was tripped up by Bluebell. When she finally made it to the door, she looked out in the street only to find Adrien was already gone. She ran back inside, only to run right into her mother.

 _"What were you thinking!_ " Marinette shouted at her, "He thought the scarf was from his dad! Why did you have to tell him that I made it?!"

"Sweetie, I didn't know it was a secret." Sabine said, taken aback.

"He was happy to think it was from his dad and now you've ruined it! I'm so tired of you meddling! First you spy on us on our date, then you interrupt our make up and now you've went and told him exactly what I was trying to keep from him! He may never talk to me again." Marinette ran past her mother and into her room. Adrien was out there, alone in the dark and she couldn't just sit by and do nothing. "Tikki spots on!"

Cat Noir bounded through the night sky, leaping over buildings and dodging around telephone poles. He wasn't paying attention to where he was going, all he wanted to do was get away. _How could she let me think that my father had given me that gift! How could I have been so stupid as to think he would give me a real gift!_ Adrien raged at himself. It wasn't really Marinette's fault, but the fact she never said anything made him feel like an idiot. How had he never noticed her name written right there on the hem? Somehow he found himself on the Eiffel tower, the night breeze ruffled his hair and cooled his sweating brow. Looking out over the city, he couldn't help but feel some contempt for the people bustling below him. How easy their lives seemed from so far away. None of them had to deal with the world resting on their shoulders…well except one— _Ladybug_.

He'd been avoiding thinking of her for a while, there hadn't been time really. Between Bluebell, Marinette, his father and school, there was barely time to think of anything really. He missed her companionship, but before he could dwell on the thought too long, he caught sight of her swinging through the city—coming directly toward the Eiffel Tower.

Ladybug pulled on her yo-yo, launching herself onto the platform Cat Noir had been sitting on. "Oh thank goodness you're here!" she said, "I need your help."

Cat Noir bounded to his feet, thankful for the distraction from his pity party. "Is it an akuma?"

"No, I'm looking for someone." She replied. "Do you remember Adrien Agreste? He's missing, we have to find him."

Cat Noir rolled his eyes, "Why would you be looking for him?"

"I think he might be in trouble, he's really upset—"

"Really upset?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. "Ladybug, I don't think 'upset' counts as an emergency. Why do you care anyway?"

"I care because Adrien is in trouble and he needs me."

Cat Noir mocked, "Let me guess, you're a fan girl that thinks if she comforts him in 'his time of need' he'll what, ask you on a date?"

Ladybug's face changed from concerned to furious. "What is wrong with you? I'm not some fan girl. I care about him! I love him!"

"Oh and what do you love about him? You've probably never even met him." Cat Noir spat back. As Adrien, he'd had plenty of girls hang on him, trying to win his affections. None of them really ever cared about him as a person…it was always about his looks, or his money, or his status. Marinette was the only one that had ever treated him like a person…someone with thoughts and feelings of his own. "Tell me, is it his looks, his money, or are you just easily swayed by teen models?"

Ladybug grabbed Cat Noir by the front of his collar and nearly pulled him off his feet, "You know nothing about him. Adrien is the most wonderful person I've ever met. He's kind, and understanding. He's level headed and friendly. Despite people like you judging him on his looks and assuming he's stuck up because he has money—he is nothing but genuine. I will not let you objectify him just because you're jealous that I care about someone else."

Cat Noir looked at Ladybug surprised, no one had ever stood up for him—err, Adrien like that. The two stood, eyes locked on each other, trapped in the tense moment. A small breeze blew Ladybug's bangs in her eyes, the smell vanilla and sugar filled Cat Noir's heightened sense of smell. It finally clicked.

Ladybug dropped Cat Noir and he landed on his rear. He continued to look up to her in shock. "I'm an idiot." he blurted.

"I don't have time for this I have to find Adrien," She shook her head and got ready to jump off the building, but Cat Noir stopped her.

"You won't find him down there."

She stopped in surprise, "Have you seen him?"

"He's here." Cat Noir said, "Plagg, Claws in."

The facade of Cat Noir fizzled away and a cute black kwami appeared out of nowhere. In place of the familiar Cat Noir, looking up at her, was Adrien. Before Ladybug could say anything the little kwami flew at her face, "Do you have any camembert?! This guy left all of it in his back pack!"

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Yay! The End! Lol just kidding. There's a ton more chapters coming along. I'm finally getting to the part of the story I originally envisioned. Enjoy!


	37. Chapter 37: Mask Free

More reveal! Yay!

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Ladybug was completely taken aback. All this time! It had been Adrien. But how? "I don't understand…" she said, "I've saved you before! When the Horrificator captured you—"

"I wasn't really captured, I just left my shoe for everyone to find."

"But when Simon Says—"

"I wasn't really taking a shower…"

Ladybug smacked her forehead with her hand, how had she missed it?! The green eyes, the blonde hair…but Adrien and Cat were so _different_!

"So are you going to power down, Marinette?"

She jumped at the statement, "Wha-what did you call me? Who's Mari-marinette?"

He raised his eyebrow in dismay, " _Seriously_? You're actually going to keep pretending even when I figured out who you are?"

"You haven't figured out anything." She said, trying to force confidence in her voice, "I'm not this Marinette person."

"I guess we're going to do this the hard way," he mumbled to himself. Standing to face her, he began to list off all the reasons why she was obviously Marinette Dupain-Cheng. "First off, the history book is where you went wrong. Only our school has it. There are 42 girls in the tenth grade, and 18 of them have dark hair. Once you subtract out the ones that have been akumatized at one time or another, you narrow it down to 4. Only 2 of those girls have blue eyes."

She waved her hand, "Th-that doesn't mean anything, I found that book and was trying to return it…"

Adrien's face flattened at the obvious lie, "Marinette, there are only two people that knew I was outside and upset tonight…and while I like Sabine, I'm doubting that it's her under that mask since she's about 4 inches too short. On top of all that, you smell like a cookie."

Marinette plopped to the platform. He'd caught her; there wasn't any way around it. "Tikki spots off."

"That's better," he said, offering her his hand to help her stand.

Tikki popped out of Ladybug's earrings and flew into Adrien's face, "Excellent to finally meet you in person Adrien! I'm Tikki, Marinette's kwami."

He laughed lightly, "Nice to meet you Tikki."

Before anyone could say anything else, Plagg was back in Marinette's line of sight, "You never said if you have any camembert! I'm dyin' here lady!"

"Plagg! You're being rude!" Tikki scolded him, "This is an important moment for them, you can eat _later_."

He pretended to be faint, "I'll be dead _later_!" Adrien rolled his eyes at his kwami's dramatics.

Digging around in her purse, Marinette produced a couple of cookies and passed them to the two floating kwamis. Plagg shrugged, "It's no camembert, but it'll do."

Tikki pulled at him while he munched on his cookie, "We need to give them a little space! I'm sure they have a lot to talk about…" Plagg grumbled at not being apart of the action, but allowed Tikki to lead him away.

After the two kwamis had left ear shot, Adrien turned back to Marinette who had been surprisingly silent through the entire exchange. Before Adrien could say anything, a large tear bubbled it's way out of Marinette's eye.

"What's wrong?" Adrien asked.

Marinette couldn't hold her feelings in anymore, "Are you going to break up with me?" she sobbed.

Adrien was completely confused, "What? Why would I break up with you?"

She sniffed loudly and tears continued to drain from her face. "Be-because I didn't tell you the tr-truth about the scar-ff…be-because I didn't te-tell you about being L-Ladybug…because I-I turned you dow-down as Cat Noir." Marinette could hardly get the words out. She was sure that this was the end.

He pulled her close into his arms and stroked her hair. "Marinette, I'm…I'm not mad at you."

"You're not?" she asked into his shoulder.

"I wouldn't have expected you to tell me that you were Ladybug…after all I didn't exactly volunteer that I was Cat Noir." Marinette continued to sniffle into his shoulder, his shirt getting damp from her tears. "As for the scarf…I'm not mad at you, I'm mad at _me_. I should have realized that my father wouldn't have actually given me a present like that. I just wanted to believe he cared about me so badly…"

She pulled away from him, sniffling, "I should have told you…I just-when I saw how happy you were when you thought it was from your dad…I just couldn't bare to tell you it was really from me."

He nodded, "I just can't believe I was so stupid to think my dad actually cared…"

"No! It's not stupid to want to believe that he cares. He's the idiot for not realizing what an amazing son he has." Marinette her sadness suddenly gone, replaced with indignation at Gabrielle's poor parenting.

He shrugged. "Feeling any better?" He asked as he wiped a tear from her cheek.

She looked at her feet, "…is Cat Noir still mad at me?"

He sighed audibly, running his hand through his hair, "Cat Noir and Ladybug…I don't even know where to begin."

"I tried to apologize, but it just—came out all wrong." Marinette said, unable to meet his eyes.

"That's not completely your fault. I appreciate that you were trying to apologize to me, I just wasn't ready to listen to it yet. I suppose it would have made things a little easier though if you would have just told me that you had a crush on someone else…" he smiled at her. His smile faded, "I wasn't mad that you told me that you didn't like me that way, I was mad that you tried to tell me that there wasn't anything between us. You treated my feelings like they were some sort of joke."

"When you joke all the time…it's hard to tell when to take you seriously. I'd always assumed you were just a flirt." she replied blushing. "I didn't mean to make you think that your feelings didn't matter. It's just that—before this year, if someone was flirting openly with me, it was joke or a prank. It didn't really mean that they liked me, they were just trying to get a reaction out of shy little Marinette."

Adrien was struck at the cruelty of teenagers. When Chloe had told him he'd a lot to learn about school politics, he'd not realized how right she was. "That's awful…I'm sorry. I guess social skills are still kind of new to me…I didn't think being honest would make you think I was lying."

"So…you're not going to break up with me?" she asked quietly, her eyes wandering to his lips.

He felt her gaze on him, his face became hot. "Just because we have a fight now and then, doesn't mean I'm going to dump you." He smiled at her, "I love you."

Marinette's heart did a flipflop at the words and she leaned forward, pushing her lips to his. He responded in kind. Finally there weren't any interruptions.

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This next chapter is taking a while, lots of moving parts T_T Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter. I'm right around 50,000 words so far ^_^


	38. Chapter 38: Meddling Mom

Back at the Bakery, Sabine's chest ached. She looked at the closed door of her daughter's room and wondered what she could have done differently. _How was I supposed to know that it was secret?_ She thought, _I was just trying to be supportive. How would I know I was interrupting **her moments**?_ Tears pricked the edges of her eyes, Sabine rarely fought with her daughter and it always hurt horribly when they weren't getting along. Wanting to go up and apologize, but knowing that Marinette probably needed time to calm down before she would be willing to talk. She paced; kneading Adrien's scarf anxiously. Suddenly something came over her and a voice resounded in her head.

"Meddling Mom, your daughter doesn't truly appreciate you. No one realizes that _you_ actually know what is good for them."

"Yes Hawkmoth, " she found herself saying.

"I'll give your voice the power to influence others; but you have to bring me Cat Noir and Ladybug's miraculous!"

"Yes Hawkmoth," she replied to the voice. A black butterfly landed on Adrien's scarf in her hands, transforming her completely.

Turning around, Meddling Mom's transformation revealed herself to look surprisingly like Jackie Kennedy. A pill box hat had replaced her usual flower, and white gloves concealed her usually flour covered hands. An American 1950's dress belled out from her hips. Completing the outfit was Adrien's scarf adorning her neck. "Now Marinette, we'll teach you a lesson…" she said to herself as she walked delicately up to her daughter's room.

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The kiss endured. A cool breeze danced around the two lover's silhouette, their scents mingling. Adrien's senses were overwhelmed with Marinette. Her lips were so soft, and she smelled so good, he could barely contain himself. He pulled her closer and she responded in kind. Weeks of wanting to kiss him had built up and finally Marinette was able to release the nervous energy she'd been holding in. She put herself into the kiss, feeling as if she were sharing more than just her mouth, she was sharing her breath, her life. His hands were in her hair and she'd wrapped her arms around his strong back pulling him closer. She couldn't help but feel how warm he was, like a bonfire. This was what they had been missing. Holding her in his arms, Adrien could feel that she filled a chasm he'd never even realized was there. Now that the void was finally being filled he couldn't bare to let her go. At last the two broke apart, Marinette's heart was pounding so hard she was afraid the Adrien could feel it hitting his chest. The pair smiled drunkenly at each other, and for a moment, life was perfection.

From a steel girder high above the couple Tikki sighed happily, "How romantic!"

" _'How gross'_ if you ask me." Plagg said rolling his eyes. "Humans are weird."

Suddenly the moment was interrupted by a loud voice. "What are you doing?!" The two teens looked around for the source of the voice. In the pavilion near the tower they could see a brightly colored person confronting a dark figure. The brightly colored figure was obviously an akumatized victim. It seemed that their private time together was over. They met each other's eyes and knew what had to be done.

"Plagg, claws out."

"Tikki, spots on!"

Covertly the pair swung down to the ground level and crept up on the exchange. "I said what are you doing? Answer me!"

The dark figure wore a beanie and torn clothes. He was brandishing a can of spray paint, "What does it look like lady? I'm painting graffiti."

"Stop that right now." The akumatized victim responded. Ladybug and Cat Noir were puzzled by the confrontation…it seemed like the akumatized person was actually trying to do something…good?

The hoodlum suddenly stood up straight, dropping the can of spray paint. His eyes began to softly glow green and he said in a trance-like voice, "Yes Meddling Mom."

The bright figure smiled to herself, "That's better. Now run along home, I'm sure you're out past your bedtime." Without another word, the young man started walking in the direction of his home. The akumatized person seemed very pleased with herself. Just then, one of the local police officers walked in the vicinity and she called out to him. "You there! Clean this up!" Meddling Mom gestured to the graffiti tag. The officer immediately stood to attention and ran to the graffiti, his eyes glowing an eerie green. He pulled off his uniform shirt and started rubbing ineffectually at the stain on the stone. She sighed at the man's literal interpretation. "Not like that you idiot! Get a solvent!" The officer, without a word, jumped back to attention and ran in the direction of the nearest store.

Ladybug had seen enough, she gestured to Cat Noir that they needed to talk on a nearby roof. They sprung from the ground up to a nearby four story building. Cat Noir smiled widely, "She seems to be causing a lot less chaos than the usual villains."

"Well we still can't just leave her wandering around like that…even if she doesn't seem to be causing that much trouble. Did you see what happened? Every time she commanded someone to do something, it was like they were compelled to do it. It must be her power."

"You're probably right. What do you think the akuma is in? The hat?"

Ladybug scratched her chin, "Maybe…" for some reason the woman seemed very familiar, it only took another second for it to dawn on her. She rushed to the edge of the roof to get a better look at the woman. "It's my mom!"

Cat Noir did a double take. "What?! That can't be Sabine!"

Ladybug's heart flip-flopped. "It is though, I recognize her voice."

He scratched his head at the statement, "But to be akumatized you have to be exhibiting negative feelings…I'm not even sure Sabine has a negative feeling in her body. She's always so sweet and perky."

Ladybug put her head in hands, "It's all my fault!" He just continued to look at her, hoping for an explanation. "When you left, I blamed her for telling you the truth. I thought you were going to break things off with me and I thought it was her fault—I said terrible things to her…"

He looked over the edge of the roof at the transformed Sabine. "Well if it really is your mother, then the akuma must be in the scarf she wearing." Ladybug looked up from her pity party to examine her mother. She was wearing Adrien's scarf, he was right, it had to be housing the akuma.

"How are we going to get it away from her?" she asked him, "I can't fight my mother, she's— _my mother_!"

"Yeah, we've established that." Cat responded, realizing that this would be a significantly different altercation than their usual battles. Putting his hands on her shoulders, he did his best to reassure her. "We have to treat this like any other akumatized victim. I know you don't want to hurt her, and we won't. We just have to catch the akuma and this will all be over. The real problem here figuring out how to get the scarf away from her without her commanding us to stop where we are."

Ladybug tried to get herself in the right mindset, "You're right, we have to make sure that her commands can't affect us." She considered issue, staring out across the city. A few buildings over a light was on. It was then that it dawned on her. She grabbed Cat Noir and said, "Follow me! I've got an idea." The two bounded toward a nearby building that Cat Noir recognized as the Grand Paris Hotel. Ladybug alighted on Chloe's balcony and threw open the door. Chloe was coming out of her bathroom with a mud mask on her face and her hair twisted up in a towel. She shrieked in surprise that there was someone in her room. In similar fashion Ladybug shrieked in surprise at the crazy mud mask Chloe was wearing. It only took a moment for Chloe to recognize her favorite heroine.

"Ladybug!" She shouted delightfully, "Are you here to finally ditch the kitty and ask me to be your new partner?"

She looked at the blonde girl with the green face in disgust, "Um, no. But I do need your help. Do you have any cotton balls?"

Chloe gave her a cheeky giggle, "Of course I do!" Going into the bathroom she came back with a jar of fluffy white cotton balls. She started to hand the item over, but stopped asking "Wait, why do you need cotton balls?"

"Tell ya later!" She responded, grabbing the jar before Chloe could ask anymore questions and leapt from the balcony. Cat Noir found himself awkwardly standing in the room with Chloe and her weird mask. Scratching the back of his head he chuckled nervously, "Well, um, thanks for the cotton balls!" He turned and followed Ladybug into the night.

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Short, but the next chapter will be up before the week is out. Enjoy the kissing scene :D


	39. Chapter 39: Thinking Outside the Bug

Second half of the akuma fight :)

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The two heroes bounded back to the building that was nearest to Meddling Mother. Ladybug watched as she commanded a group of teenagers to go home as it was "past curfew". Before Cat Noir had caught up with Ladybug, Meddling Mother also commanded a homeless man to shave. The situation was getting worse. As Cat Noir alighted the roof next to her, Ladybug turned to him. Holding multiple cotton balls she handed them over, "You need to block your ears. If you can't hear her commands, you won't fall prey to them."

He hesitated, "But what if we need to talk to each other? How are we supposed to coordinate if we can't speak?

She shrugged at him, "I'm sure we'll figure it out. You're my partner…wasn't it you who said that you could read my mind?" she smiled remembering how often they'd accidentally started speaking in sync.

"Well, yeah but—" before Cat Noir could finish his protests Ladybug had jumped into the fray. He stuffed the cotton balls into his ears and joined the altercation. Praying that this wouldn't become a complete disaster.

Ladybug landed heavy on the street, bile sat at the back of her throat. How in the world was she going to fight her mother?! "Hey Meddling Mom! Maybe you should stick disciplining your own kids?" _Was this irony?_ she wondered absentmindedly.

Meddling Mom slowly turned to face her adversary, a look of shock on her face. "You dare speak to me that way young lady? You need to be taught some manners."

Ladybug could hear that the villain was saying something, but luckily the cotton muffled the noise enough that she couldn't make out what the message was. She tried to look confident. "Sorry, I don't listen very well. Maybe you should try again?"

Meddling Mom narrowed her eyes, this hero was obviously toying with her. "Remove that tone from your voice. You will respect your elders."

The command didn't work. Ladybug simply shook her head airily, "Sorry, can't hear you!"

Rage boiled within the woman as she looked from Ladybug to Cat Noir. It was then she'd noticed the cotton balls. A pair of teens, who looked to be on a date, were walking by the scene. Obviously so caught up in the moment they didn't even realize the danger. Meddling Mom turned to them, "You two! Stop holding hands, it's audacious."

The pair's eyes started to glow green and they immediately stepped away from each other. "Yes Mother…" they said in a zombie-like fashion.

"Now, restrain Ladybug and Cat Noir!" she shouted. The teenagers rushed at the heroes. Cat Noir used his staff to vault over the young man rushing in his direction. Ladybug side-stepped the girl causing the youth to trip from the quick change of direction. As the girl tried to get back up Ladybug wrapped her yo-yo around the girl, assuring that she wouldn't be able to lash out again. While her attention was focused on the girl, she was suddenly thrown off balance as the homeless man launched himself at her from behind. Ladybug turned in his grip to see his half shaven face. His eyes glowed green and he seemed in a trance. _Downside to the cotton balls_ she thought, _I couldn't hear him when he was sneaking up on me!_ She struggled in his grip, the man's rancid breath felt hot on her face. The man was fiercely jerked away from her. Cat Noir was suddenly there, using his staff to keep the attackers at a safe distance. He said something to her, but without looking at him, all she could make out through the cotton balls was a mumble. _Actions will have to speak louder than words_ she thought. Turning to him she held him close and clicked the extension button on his staff vaulting the duo up and away from the zombie-like people. _I need to end this quickly!_ Ladybug thought desperately. As she looked around the battlefield she realized that there were suddenly many more people…all heading straight for her and Cat Noir. Most of them were wearing pajamas. _Mom must have called them out of their houses!_ Marinette thought anxiously. She hated to use her miraculous this quickly into a fight, but there didn't seem to be a better way to subdue the oncoming mob.

"Lucky Charm!" Ladybug shouted, her yo-yo extending above her. Out of thin air, a small hand held mirror fell into her hand. "A mirror?" she asked out loud, "What am I supposed to do with this?!" Ferociously she looked around the area for the tell-tale spots that would give her an idea of what to do with the curious object, but to no avail. Her powers didn't seem to be working! She couldn't see anything that would give her an idea on how to use the mirror to get the scarf away from her mother. Closely she looked at the mirror, her reflection stared back at her. As she looked at her reflection in the mirror she saw her mask flash a series of spots. _That's it!_ She thought _It's the only thing that will distract her enough!_

Cat Noir was attempting to dodge the mass of people slowly walking toward him. Luckily for him, none of these people seemed particularly good at fighting and while they were obeying Meddling Mom's commands, they weren't doing it very well. A rush of spots ran by his field of vision toward an alleyway. _Ladybug? Where is she going?!_ Before he could wonder too long, he had to push another person away from him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of light. Someone was running out of the alleyway, but it wasn't Ladybug—it was Marinette. Cat Noir's heart sank. _What is she doing!? She's going to get killed!_ He charged through the crowd of people and mass of glowing eyes to see Marinette running up to her mother.

Meddling Mother amazingly let her get within a few feet, turning to look at her with a stranger's eyes. Before she could say anything, Marinette blurted out, "I'm sorry! I acted like a brat! You've always wanted what was best for me. You didn't know that the scarf was a secret and I shouldn't have shouted at you." Marinette glanced at Cat Noir in a meaningful way, then jerked her eyes back toward her mother. Meddling Mother didn't seem to be moving, but looked like she was trying to process the words being said. It was then that Cat Noir noticed that Marinette still had cotton in her ears. _It's a distraction!_ He finally realized. Silently he bolted toward the woman's back.

"Catacylsm!" he shouted as his claws wrapped around the scarf encircling the woman's neck. The scarf dissolved into pieces and Sabine fell to her knees; the guise of Meddling Mother gone. A small black butterfly flitted out tatters of the scarf and made its way toward the sky. Marinette rushed to the nearby alleyway as Cat Noir knelt next to the confused woman.

Sabine looked up at Cat Noir, dumbfounded, "What happened?"

He smiled nervously, "You've had kind of a rough night." He looked back toward the alleyway in time to see Ladybug throw the mirror in the air and a call of "Miraculous Ladybug!" could be heard. A rush of red and black surrounded the affected people and the ruined scarf, returning them all to their previous states. All around them the former enslaved victims looked around dazed.

"Cat Noir!" she called, "Take this woman home while I catch the akuma!" Ladybug didn't wait for his response as she swung herself into the night, chasing the ominous black butterfly.

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Until next time.


	40. Chapter 40: The Best Remedy

My best friend is coming to stay with me for about 2 weeks, so I'm unsure of how much writing I'll be getting done.

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"I am so sorry for inconveniencing you and Ladybug." Sabine said for what seemed like the fortieth time.

Cat Noir smiled, "Like I said, Mrs. Dupain-Cheng, it's really all right. It's what we're here for." Sabine had apologized almost all the way home. She somehow had the impression that she'd caused a fair amount of chaos. Cat Noir continued to reassure her, "Honestly, out of the akumatized victims we've dealt with, I'd say you were the nicest. I mean-you were hypnotizing people, sure, but mostly you just made them do things that were good for them; like going home before curfew and cleaning up graffiti."

Sabine didn't seem convinced, "You will apologize to Ladybug for me, won't you? I feel horrible that I made you two come out so late to stop me." They approached the bakery and he was about to say goodbye when he remembered the scarf. Pulling it out of his pocket, he handed it to the older woman. "I almost forgot. Here's your scarf."

She looked at it sadly, reluctant to touch the item that had caused so much trouble. "It's not really mine…" she mumbled taking it from him.

Cat Noir rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, "So you'll get it back to the owner?"

She nodded. "It belongs to my daughter's boyfriend." she explained sadly. "I meddled into their relationship too much…I'd be surprised if he's willing to talk to me again."

He placed a hand on her shoulder, "I'm sure whatever was said or done can be forgiven. Teenagers can be…difficult."

"He hasn't been getting along with his family and he came to us for help…and I made it even worse." She looked up at him "How could he forgive me?"

"You're a good person. Even when you were trying to be evil, you were still nice. I'm sure whatever the problem is, it will work out for the best."

She stared at the scarf some more, considering the problem carefully. "I just wish there was something I could do to help him."

He shrugged at the comment, "If he doesn't get along with his family, sometimes the only thing that you can do is be there for him. Just because his blood family doesn't treat him well, doesn't mean that he won't appreciate that you treat him like family."

She smiled a little at this advice and thanked him again for bringing her home. Sabine closed the door behind her and sighed. It had been a long night. Looking up at the hatch to her daughter's bedroom, her heart sank. She wanted to apologize to Marinette, but it was almost 4AM and she didn't want to wake her up just to make own conscience feel better. Just as she started to walk away from the the front door, there was a knock. Opening the door, her heart leapt to see Adrien standing there.

"Hi…" he said sheepishly, "I'm really sorry about overreacting—"

Before he could continue with his apology Sabine pulled him into her arms and gave him a firm hug. "I am so glad you're ok."

Smiling happily, he returned the hug. "I'm fine Mom." he whispered into her hair. He wasn't sure if she heard him because she quickly began pulling him inside, mentioning how he would catch a cold if he stood around outside so late.

As Sabine closed the door behind him, she heard the hatch to Marinette's door creak open. "Mom?" she called.

Sabine turn to see her daughter coming down the stairs, dressed in her pajamas. "Oh Marinette, I'm sorry. We didn't mean to wake you."

She shrugged, "I wasn't really getting much sleep." Marinette looked at her feet, feeling guilty. She knew her mother probably didn't remember the hasty apology while she was akumatized. "Mom, I just wanted to say I'm REALLY sorry. I was a jerk to you earlier. I can't expect you to read my mind when I don't want you to do something. You're an amazing mother, and I'm lucky to have you….can you forgive me?"

Sabine teared up slightly and pulled her daughter into a tight hug. "There will never be anything that you could do that I wouldn't forgive you for." Marinette held her mother close and breathed in her perfume.

Adrien coughed awkwardly, "Um…is it still all right if I stay here tonight?" The two women broke their embrace and noticed him once more.

"Of course," They said in unison. "The couch is still made up." Sabine commented. She looked to her daughter, "We should all probably head to bed I think after a night like tonight, sleep is going to be the best remedy."

Adrien settled himself on the couch, pulling the covers up to his neck. Bluebell popped out from under a chair and snuggled herself onto his chest. Sabine smiled at him curled up with the kitten and flipped the light off. "Good night son."

He could feel a warmth in his chest when he heard those words that definitely wasn't from Bluebell's soft purrs. Just as he was about to fall asleep, the light in the living room came on. He cracked open one eye, curious to see if Sabine had come back in to check on him. It was Tom.

"Morning Adrien!" he said in a loud perky voice. "I didn't know you were coming to bake with me this morning!"

Adrien groaned slightly, "Tom, I think I might need 5 more minutes…"


	41. Chapter 41: Walkabout

I should be sleeping...and instead I'm writing fan fiction. Enjoy

* * *

After explaining a very condensed version of the night's events, Tom left Adrien alone to sleep. For a few hours he tossed and turned; his sleep restless. Finally he roused himself and put on street clothes. Quietly he slipped out of the house and closed the door behind himself. So much weighed heavy on his mind. Adrien wandered the streets of Paris, the Saturday morning bustle rushed around him. A light breeze ruffled through the streets and the local Parisians took no notice of the blonde boy with no where to go. Through his subconscious stroll he found himself at the pavilion from the previous night. Adrien looked around and ghostly images of the night before played out behind his eyes. Looking up to the building top that he and Marinette had planned their attack, he remembered that they'd never returned Chloe's cotton ball jar to her. Chloe's image flew to his mind. The last time he'd spoken with her had been yesterday afternoon, but it felt like a lifetime ago. So much had happened in 24 hours, Adrien's emotions could barely keep up. Between Marinette's misunderstanding of spending time with Tom, his conversation and apology to Chloe, the fight with his father and finding out who Ladybug really was…it was too much. He wasn't sure how to feel anymore. He was happy that his Ladybug was Marinette, but his anger and hurt over his father's lacking parental skills overshadowed any good feelings he had about the revelation.

Slowly he walked up the fire escape of the building and retrieved the cotton ball jar. The glass was etched in fancy calligraphy spelling "Chloe Bourgeois". He continued to consider his predicament as he made his way toward the Grande Paris Hotel. The doorman stopped him. "I'm going to see Chloe." he explained. "I have something of hers." The doorman stepped aside allowing Adrien access to the exclusive hotel.

Adrien found himself at the penthouse, his hand poised to knock on the door. Before he could knock, the door opened and Chloe shouted in surprise at seeing someone just outside her room.

"Adrien?" she asked startled. "What are you doing here?"

Her shriek had taken him off guard and he'd almost dropped the jar. Luckily his cat reflexes allowed him to make a quick saving catch before it shattered. Pushing the jar in her line of sight he said, "I came to return this."

It took Chloe a moment to realized what he was holding. "How'd you get that?"

Panic rose within him, he hadn't thought about the fact that Adrien shouldn't have the jar, because it was Cat Noir and Ladybug that took it. He scrambled for an explanation. "Um, it was in the pavilion…I found it and it had your name on it. I thought you'd want it back."

She looked a little perplexed, but the statement made sense. "Um, thanks?" she said taking the jar from him. Walking back into her room, she left the door behind her open, a signal that Adrien took to mean that he could come in. Chloe took the jar to the bathroom and came back out without it. The blonde boy milled around her room, looking at all the extravagant trappings.

There was a photo of Chloe and a woman on her nightstand. The woman had a fashionable scarf wrapped around her head. In her lap she held a small Chloe, who was wearing costume fairy wings. The image was cropped well, but Adrien could still see the edge of the hospital bed in the photo. Chloe silently watched as he examined the photo. She could see the image in her mind, but it was the memory that the photo pulled forth that enveloped her.

She was six years old, making her way to her mother's room. A hospital style bed had been installed into their hotel and the suite had an adjoining room for the nursing staff. Fleur Bourgeois sat in her bed, looking over a fashion magazine when Chloe bounded in. She was wearing a pair of costume fairy wings and a yellow striped dress. "Mummy!" She shouted as she leapt onto the bed. "Look what daddy got me!" She turned to show off the wings. "See? I'm a butterfly!"

Fleur smiled warmly at her daughter. She loved to see how passionate the little girl was about everything. "No! You're much too pretty to be a butterfly." Fleur could feel the sickness weighing on everything she did. It would be soon now, a few weeks…months a most. She tried to make the most of this time. Looking at her daughter's delicate face, she worried for her…what will they do when she's gone? Her husband had a knack for trying to spoil their child; especially now that he knew the end was coming. More and more gifts were being lumped onto this small six year old, as if her father could buy enough things to replace Fleur when she was gone. She worried about the person her little girl would grow into. Taking Chloe's face in her hands she said, "Butterflies are delicate, a little swat and they break. Bumblebees on the other hand, they're tough, no one messes with a tough little bee."

Chloe frowned at this, "Bees are dumb."

Fleur tried to look aghast, "How can you say that?! Bees are smart and they take care of each other. Bees are strong." Chloe seemed to consider this. Her mother pulled the small girl into her lap and caressed her hair. "Chloe? You know I love you right?" Chloe nodded. "You know that I'm going…" her voice broke, "that I won't be here forever right?" Chloe looked down at her lap and made a very small nod. "I need you to take care of daddy, ok? I need you to be tough like a bumble bee." the six year old seemed to consider this. "Sometimes, kids your age aren't always nice…I need to know that you won't let anyone hurt you. Can you do that?"

Little Chloe considered this carefully, "I'll be tough, for daddy…and for you." Fleur smiled warmly at her and pulled her into a tight hug. They sat like that for a long time.

"—did you hear me Chloe?"

Suddenly Chloe was pulled from her memory, "What'd you say?" she asked Adrien.

"I asked where you were going when I was about to knock on the door."

She waved the comment away as if it were really there, "Oh nowhere important." She was supposed to meet Sabrina at the spa.

"Oh…" he mumbled. Silence fell between them.

Chloe watched Adrien carefully, he seemed like he wanted to talk, but he wasn't saying anything. "I guess it didn't go well?" she offered.

"What?" Adrien said, but then remembered what she probably meant. "No! I mean yes, things are fine with me and Marinette."

Chloe's heart sank a little, she would have preferred if he'd come to her because they'd broken up. Adrien was definitely there for a reason, when he continued the uncomfortable silence, she urged him, "So…are you going to tell me what the issue is? You wouldn't be hanging around here like a lost puppy if there wasn't something wrong."

He rubbed the back of his neck shamefully, "Am I that easy to read?" She nodded. Unexpectedly he blurted out "I had a huge fight with my dad."

Chloe sat on her bed, "It'll be fine, just give him time and he'll cool down. He always does."

"Not this time Chlo, I said some really harsh things."

She waved her hand as if she could brush away his concerns, "It can't be that bad. Your dad adores you."

"I basically told him that he was a self centered jerk who was only using me and his narcissism is why mom left us." he replied, plopping down on the edge of the bed.

Chloe's eyes widened, "Ok…he's probably pretty mad at that. What in the world did he say to make you blow up at him like that?"

Adrien blushed a little, "He said that Marinette was a bad influence on me."

Chloe burst out laughing hysterically. "You can't be serious! I've met candy stripers that are more rebellious than Marinette!"

He laughed at little at the thought of Marinette trying to entice him into being "bad" as well. She just wasn't the type, and anyone that had spent more than five minutes with her could easily see that.

Once she was able to compose herself again, she said "I'm sure it'll be fine, everyone loves you Adrikins." He gave her a questioning look. She frowned at the obvious, "Ok, it's probably not going to be 'fine'."

"What do I do Chloe?"

"Adrien, I know that you don't really get along with him, but would it be so horrible to just apologize?"

He considered it for a moment. Apologizing felt like defeat; it felt like resigning himself to live the rest of his life as someone else's plaything. "I don't think I can just apologize and have everything go back to how it was. Honestly, I don't want things to go back to the way they were. I want my dad to see me as person, not just some extension of himself that he can parade around."

"Did you tell him that you feel like he's not treating you like a person?"

"You know how my dad is. Everything he says is ' _right_ ' and no one can question him."

Chloe considered this for a moment. "What about when you wanted to go to school? He told you 'no' first, but you changed his mind. Why can't you change his mind again?"

"But _I_ didn't change his mind about school…that was Natalie. I don't know what she did, but she somehow convinced him that I should be allowed to go to school."

"Then why don't you ask Natalie to help? Your dad obviously values her opinion if he's willing to listen to her about sending you to school."

He contemplated this thought, "That is actually a good idea Chloe." He was quite surprised.

Chloe basked in the praise, "Of course it's a good idea, I thought of it."

He jumped up and started toward the door. He turned before exiting and looked at his long time friend, "Thanks Chloe, I really appreciate your help."

She couldn't help but feel her face go red, "You-you're welcome…" Then he was gone. Chloe sat for a while on her bed, trying to convince herself no to love him.

* * *

I know that *spoiler*chloebecomesgetsthebeekwami*spoiler* so I'm hoping to build in a little more likabilty into the character.


	42. Chapter 42: Showdown

Sorry this took so long. I was trying to figure out the flow of the chapters.

* * *

Marinette awoke on that Saturday morning to a mostly empty house. Well "morning" was a generous way to say 12:45 PM. The events of the night before really took a lot out of her. The akuma that had infected her mother had been particular hard to catch. Thankfully she returned shortly after her mother and Adrien had arrived so her absence wasn't noticed. Marinette wandered to the living room and saw that Adrien was missing. Upon looking at her phone she found a message from him saying "Gone for a walk, needed to clear my head. Love you." She was sad that he was going through a difficult time, but it was easily overshadowed by her joy of reading "love you" from Adrien.

Tikki popped out of her hair and yawned loudly, "Morning Marinette. Where's Adrien?"

"Gone for a walk," she smiled sadly.

The little red kwami nodded seriously, "I'm sure he has a lot to think about. The fight with his father sounded pretty awful."

Marinette agreed, "Last night he acted like he wouldn't even consider going back home. I just can't understand him running away from his problems like that."

"Well, a person can only take so much abuse before they leave, or they break. If he decided that he'd rather leave, I can understand that."

The thought troubled Marinette. What if he didn't go back? Where would he go? Worse…what if he did go back and nothing changed? Could he continue living beaten down and ignored? _In the end_ , she thought, _it doesn't matter. Those are his decisions to make. It's not like I can do anything about it._ A light went on in her mind. Maybe there was something she could do?

* * *

Meanwhile, Adrien walked Paris' streets lost in his thoughts, alone. Well sort of "alone" Plagg was hiding in his shirt, snacking on some cheese from Adrien's pocket. The little black kwami didn't bother to give his opinion on the whole mess…well at least until he ran out of cheese. Once the food was consumed, he popped his head out of Adrien's collar. "So when's the big showdown!?"

Adrien looked at him surprised, "What showdown?"

"Obviously the showdown you're going to have with your dad! You should tell him that he can't control you anymore and that you're an adult!"

Adrien's left eyebrow raised in puzzlement. "Since when is 16 an adult?"

"Since most of time actually." the kwami prompted. "It actually wasn't until this past century that people even started to suggest that 18 was an age of an adult. Even Joan d'Arc was 16 when she started to influence the armies of France. "

"I never pictured you as a historian."

"Who needs a historian? I was there."

"What?" Adrien asked. "You're not that old."

"I'm older." Plagg said defensively, "I was kwami to Le Beau Duc, as Joan called him."

"You're saying that John II of Alencon held your miraculous?" He asked in disbelief.

"Of course!" Plagg declared, "Who else would help Ladybug? Joan wasn't about to do it by herself."

Adrien's eyes widen, "You're actually trying to suggest that Joan d'Arc was Ladybug?"

"Are you going to question everything I say?" Plagg asked. Adrien nodded in disbelief. "If that's the case, then maybe I don't even need to impart my centuries of knowledge on you!" Plagg secluded himself in Adrien's shirt and curled up for a nap. Before sleep took him, he couldn't help but smile at the memory of Adrien's astonished face.

* * *

It was late afternoon and the bakery had finally hit it's midday lull. Tom was finishing up some of Adrien's cinnamon buns while Sabine straightened up the shop. Marinette had went out earlier, not mentioning her destination to her parents. Saturdays she usually hung out with Alya, so Sabine made the assumption that Alya's house was where her daughter was going. The shop's bell clanged loudly and Sabine was more than surprised as she looked up. Standing in her doorway was none other than Gabrielle Agreste. The small woman recognized him from her daughter's fashion magazines and she knew from Adrien that this was his father. It was obvious why he was here.

"Mrs. Dupain-cheng I presume?" he asked, his voice covered in a frosty tone.

Sabine smiled warmly despite the tone and replied, "You would be correct! Is there something that would interest you? Maybe a cinnamon bun?"

Mr. Agreste looked down his nose at the pastries, "I don't eat sweets."

"How unfortunate. Sometimes a little something sweet can completely change an attitude." He raised his eyebrow at her, it was hard to tell if she was being genuine or taking a shot at his demeanor. Her face never wavered and he decided that she was actually being genuine. When he said nothing, she continued, "If you're not here for something sweet, can I ask the reason for this visit?"

He waved the comment away, "Let's drop the pretense shall we? I know Adrien is here. He wasn't at that delinquent, Nino's house and this is the only other common address that Kongsberg drops him off at. Bring me my son."

Sabine exited from behind the counter. "I'm sorry, but he's not here-"

"Nonsense!"

Sabine breathed through the interruption, this man was going to try her nerves. "What I was saying is that he isn't here anymore. He did stay the night, but left this morning. My assumption was that he was going to go home and try to work things out with you."

"There is nothing to 'work out'. He is my son and he should be home." Gabrielle said forcefully.

Sabine's face winced at the words. Quietly, almost as if she were speaking to the floor, she said, "It's hard, being a single parent."

"What?" he asked, completely taken off guard by the change in the conversation's tone.

She looked up at him, "It's hard to be a single parent. To be the only one to make decisions, unsure if what you're doing is right. Kids tend to think that adults have everything figured out. That being a parent comes with some sort of manual that dictates 'rights' and 'wrongs' and 'what do to's. It can be easy for a child to forget to see the big picture."

Gabrielle stood silently, his mouth has fallen open. Was this woman taking his side? She continued, "I am sure that _you_ are doing what _you_ think is right for your son."

"Of course it's right. Adrien is my son and I know what is best for him." He hadn't noticed how close she'd come to him, until he felt her hand on his.

"It's ok to be unsure." The blonde haired man was flustered, no one ever touched him, not even Adrien. Who did this woman think she was?! She continued, "Adrien told me how much of his life is scheduled. How he doesn't have time to himself—"

"He is my son and I will raise him how I wish!" he shouted at her, sliding her hand from his.

"I agree." she responded. "I think that _you_ think you're doing what is best for Adrien. He takes piano lessons, mandarin lessons, and fencing, on top of going to school and modeling….all of those things are to help him become a well rounded person. He has to get good grades and do his best to excel. That's something every parent would want for their child. But, there is a point when you can push too much….even if it is for their own good."

"You don't know me—"

"No, I don't. But I know Adrien and I know what its like to want the best for your child. Sometimes, when you live with someone it can be hard to see how your own behavior can be viewed." Sabine couldn't help but think of her own misunderstanding with her own daughter. "Sometimes we can hurt those we love without meaning to. Your son is getting to an age where he wants a little freedom; he wants space to make his own mistakes."

"Mistakes can set you back in life. When I started out in the industry, I had nothing; no contacts, no education and little skill. I pushed my way through to the life I have and I have given my son everything he could ever want."

Sabine nodded, "You want him to be prepared; to have the best chance at life. One day though, he won't have you behind him telling him what to do. When that day comes, will he be able to think for himself? Make the decisions he needs to? If he never gets to make mistakes, how will he know what the right decisions are?"

Gabrielle faltered, he'd never thought of that, "I—"

"It's ok to not be ready to let go, but if you keep holding onto him this tightly, he'll push away from you." Gabrielle didn't say anything, he couldn't. Sabine continued, "If you're open to a suggestion, I think I have an idea for a compromise."

* * *

Sorry for the cliff hanger, I figured it was better to update than leave you hanging for a couple more weeks.


	43. Chapter 43: A Deal with the Devil

Sorry it's been a while since I've posted. One of my in-laws died and there was a ton of travel. I ran out of medication and I spend a week an a half having panic attacks. Enjoy the chapter, it might be another few weeks before I post again because I'm going on vacation next week. There's lots of flash backs this chapter.

* * *

Marinette arrived at the Agreste mansion shortly after 2PM. She was unsure really what she was going to do, but she knew she couldn't stand by and watch Adrien be taken away from her by his father. Gulping audibly, she pushed the intercom's buzzer.

The intercom's camera immediately jutted from the wall and Natalie's voice came from the speaker, "Marinette?! Is Adrien with you?! Have you seen him?" Her voice was full of panic.

Marinette squirmed under the camera's scrutiny. "He's not with me. He's clearing his head."

"So you know where he is?" The camera's eye moved closer to her.

She shook her head, "No, he left early to take a walk."

"Then what are you doing here?"

Marinette firmed up her resolve, "I need to speak with Mr. Agreste."

"You can't, he's not here."

"What?! But I need to speak with him. He has to understand—"

The gates to her left suddenly opened, "Go ahead and come in, I'd rather we didn't air their dirty laundry on the street."

The dark haired girl shuffled quickly through the mammoth gate and was greeted by Natalie. Marinette quietly slipped into the residence, a feeling of secrecy falling over her. Natalie glanced around before closing the door behind her.

"What do you know of the argument between them?" Natalie asked, looking over her spectacles.

Marinette rubbed the back of her neck shyly, "I know it was partially about me."

Natalie eyed her, "This has been a long time coming, I'm sure you were just the tipping point."

"That's why I'm here, I want to make things right." Marinette shuffled through her purse and pulled out an envelope. She shoved it at the assistant.

"What's this?" Natalie asked peeking into the envelope.

"It's the money that Gabrielle gave me for modeling. I don't want it." Marinette looked at her feet. It wasn't entirely true, she did want the money, but she wanted Adrien more.

"What am I supposed to do with this?" Natalie asked, "Are you hoping to…what? Buy Adrien's freedom? He's not a slave you know."

Marinette blushed furiously, she didn't realize how it would look. She couldn't think of anything she had that Gabriel would want. All she could think was to give the money back and hope that it would buy her….time? Respect? She wasn't sure, she just knew it didn't feel right to keep it and it was the only thing she could think that she had that might change Gabrielle's mind. "I…I guess I was hoping that Gabriel would change his mind about me dating Adrien…?"

Natalie handed the money back to her, "Well I doubt a measly 1000 Euros is going to change his mind and I don't think treating his son like property is going to encourage him to think better of you."

Marinette sunk down into a nearby chair, her head in her hands. "I just don't know what to do! I can't bear to see Adrien so upset…but I don't know how to fix it. I can't lose him…"

The older woman patted her on the head, "Sometimes you can't fix these kinds of problems. This isn't your problem to fix."

"I love him…"

"We all do," Natalie replied. The comment made Marinette look up in surprise. "You think I stick around because Gabriel treats me so well? Do you think that Kongsberg is the personal chauffeur to a teenager because he likes the face Gabriel makes when he shouts?"

"I guess I just thought…I don't know, that he paid you well."

"He pays us fine, but we're here for Adrien." Natalie replied. "It wasn't always this way. Well, Gabriel wasn't always this bad." She wandered a bit away from Marinette, staring at the family portrait. "When Mrs. Agreste was here, she added a balance. She kept Gabriel in check. They say opposites attract and it couldn't have been more true than with them."

She fell into her memories, watching ghost versions of the Agreste family walk through the foyer.

 _"You're so pig headed!" Caprice Agreste shouted at her husband. "If you think for a moment you're going to keep me locked up—"_

 _"You were mugged," Gabriel responded in his reserved way._

 _"Yes, I was mugged; not murdered!" Caprice shouted. Natalie was always surprised at their fights. If 'fights' were even the correct word. Caprice shouted a lot, but did very little and Gabriel was nearly nonchalant about the whole thing, as if he already knew what the outcome was and the entire thing was a formality. In the end, Gabriel would "give in". He would say whatever he thought she wanted to hear and then after a bit, he would do what he wished. Whether "what he wished" was buying a new car, or isolating his family from the outside world. She made a lot of noise, but in the end Caprice was a dreamer, a girl with her head in the clouds; she very rarely put any plan into action. She needed an anchor, she needed Gabriel. Of course Gabriel needed her too. He needed her to pull his head out of the sand, and to remind him that there was a world outside. They were each other's counter balance; without the other, one would simply fall to the floor._

 _"Gabriel" Caprice continued, pulling her husband toward her. "I know you want to treat me like a queen, but I won't stay holed up here."_

 _He gently brushed the hair out of her eyes, "I just want what's best for you. I want you to be safe."_

 _She smiled, "Have a little faith in the world Gabriel, just because one person is bad, it doesn't mean that we need to hide from everyone else." She flitted off to another room, assuming the issue was resolved. The issue, of course, wasn't resolved and would be an old argument for a new day_.

Natalie sighed, "I can't only do so much to try and control him. I'm not Caprice and he isn't willing to listen to Adrien."

"That's the whole problem! If he just spent a little time listening to Adrien, really listening—"

"—They wouldn't be in this mess." Natalie finished for her. "Either way, one of them will have to bend. Usually it's Adrien…but I don't know this time."

The two were interrupted by Adrien walking through the door. "Natalie! I'm glad you're here I need to—Marinette? What are you doing here?"

Marinette stood and faced her boyfriend, "I came to see if I could talk to your father, but he's not here."

"What did you want to talk to my dad about?"

She blushed furiously, "I wanted to try and convince him to let us continue dating."

He smiled slightly, "I appreciate the effort Marinette, but I doubt he would listen. The only person he seems to listen to is Natalie." He turned to face his assistant and she was quiet surprised by the statement.

Natalie shook her head, "Gabriel won't listen to me any more than he listens to you."

"But you convinced him to let me go to school…"

"That was…different…". Natalie said, her mind flashing back to the moment she made a deal with the devil.

 _"Why can't Adrien attend high school? He's been homeschooled his whole life, the social interaction would do him some good." She'd pleaded._

 _Gabriel didn't even look up from his paperwork, "I said 'no'. I know what is best for my son. Having him venture outside daily to learn next to the average peon, it's below him. Besides, the world is a dangerous place."_

 _That last sentence had crept under Natalie's skin and she found her mouth moving before she fully understood what she was doing. "It seems that villains can be found anywhere, even inside one's own home." This had caught his attention and he momentarily paused his writing._

 _Gabriel tried to play off the comment, "What could you possibly be on about? We have the best security."_

 _"We do," She agreed, "and the best security cameras. You really should be more careful where you transform…Hawkmoth." The name made him jerk his head up to face her. He eyed her sideways as she continued. "I know who you are and what you're doing. I have it on film."_

 _"Are you making a threat?"_

 _"No, I'm offering a trade. I keep quiet about what I know, and you let Adrien go to school."_

 _"You're going to blackmail me, not to get money, but so that my son can go to high school?"_

 _Natalie wanted to look away but she knew if she showed any sign of weakness she'd lose a very dangerous game with a very dangerous man, "Yes. I'll give you the tape and pretend I never saw it, and you let Adrien go to high school."_

 _He stared her down for a moment, but then said, "You have a deal. This is a one time incidence. If you ever try something like this again… I will end you."_

Natalie shivered at the memory, "No, I can't use the same tactic to turn this toward your favor, Adrien. I'm sorry."

Adrien sighed, he'd known it was a long shot after all. Before he had time to think of a different plan of attack, Gabriel Agreste walked through the front door.


	44. Chapter 44: Unexpected Outcome

Chapter 44

Adrien turned in surprise, "Father?" He wasn't prepared to face him yet, but there was no backing out now. Adrien only prayed he could come up with a solution to this mess quickly. Looking upon his father in the afternoon light, Adrien found that he wasn't as angry as he was before. Well…that is until his Gabriel started talking.

Gabriel looked down his nose at the two teenagers. "Miss Dupain-Cheng, to what do we owe the pleasure?"

Adrien's irritation flared, but before he could get a word out of his mouth Marinette stepped forward. "I love Adrien." She blurted out to everyone's surprised. She didn't seem to notice everyone's shock and continued breathlessly, "I love him and I'm sorry that I caused such a huge fight, but please don't make him break up with me! I'll never let him miss class again, I promise I'll-"

Gabriel raised his hand in a signal to silence her. Marinette's pleas faded and he cleared his throat. "While I appreciate your promises, I have already reached an agreement with your mother." The two teens looked at each other anxiously and he continued. "Sabine seems to be a lovely woman, with a good head on her shoulders. Together, we've decided to let this continue."

Marinette sighed audibly with relief, but Gabriel went on, "In a limited capacity." Adrien's eyes widened, but he held his tongue. "Adrien, you will no longer be having Mandarin lessons on Tuesday with Mrs. Li. You will be moving on to conversational mandarin on Thursdays…with Mrs. Dupain-cheng. Sabine has been kind enough to suggest having dinner with them so that you can practice in a practical setting. That will leave your Tuesday nights, free to spend as you wish. With Kongsberg accompanying you of course."

Adrien's mouth gaped open. What had come over his father? He expected to be grounded for the way he'd shouted; to be berated…instead, he was getting more freedom? _What did Sabine do to him?_ He wondered.

Gabriel seemed to be waiting for him to say something, but all he could think to say is, "Really? I have a whole night a week that I can do what I want? Every week?"

"Do you not want it? If that is too much freedom I'm sure we could fit in some horseback riding lessons, or ballroom dancing or something."

"NO!" Adrien shouted, then remembering himself, he cleared his throat and spoke more calmly, "Tuesday nights would be wonderful father. Thank you."

"Your curfew will still by 10PM and I expect that you will abide by that." He glared at Adrien, as if he somehow knew how late Adrien had been staying at the Dupain-cheng's.

He gulped audibly, "Of course Father."

"And you won't be skipping anymore classes or lessons."

"Yes father."

Gabriel seemed to think that the matter was closed and started to walk toward his office. As the shock started to wear off of Adrien he found himself blocking his father's exit. "Was there something else?" Gabriel asked, raising an eyebrow. Adrien didn't say anything, instead he pulled his father into a tight hug. Awkwardly Gabriel patted his son's head and waited for the embrace to end. Once Adrien let go, the two Agreste men looked around uncomfortably and went their separate ways without another word. As soon as Gabriel closed his office door Marinette squealed in delight, throwing her arms around Adrien. He smiled warmly at her and pulled her close. Natalie stared at the closed office door in astonishment. She had predicted several outcomes, but this certainly wasn't one of them.

* * *

Sorry for the short chapter, I've been kind of blah this week. Time change from my vacation totally knocked me for a loop.


	45. Chapter 45: Changing a Mind

This is the final chapter of this fic. I'm pretty happy I finished before season 2 comes out since I know that all of this will be completely thrown out the window. I hope you all have enjoyed the story. It has been quite helpful for my mental health to write this and it was nice to write fiction again since it's been about a decade now. See you all in season 2 :)

* * *

"So, how did you do it?" Marinette asked her mother.

"'Do what dear?" Sabine asked absentmindedly as she pulled some croissants out of the oven to cool.

"How did you convince Adrien's dad to let him have a night off and still be my boyfriend?"

Sabine smiled to herself and began removing the croissants from the pan, "You'll find the best way to convince someone to change their mind, is to make them think that they changed their own mind."

—

Adrien's first free Tuesday had finally come and he'd been agonizing over what to do. He could spend time with Marinette, or maybe have a guys night out, but neither of those options seemed quite right. He gulped audibly as he hesitated outside of his father's office door. He clenched his teeth and knocked.

"Come in." A voice called from beyond the door. Adrien opened the door and found his father sorting through fabric samples on his desk. "Yes, what is is it?" He asked without even looking up.

Adrien cleared his throat nervously. "Hi…I was wondering—well it's Tuesday."

Gabriel still didn't look up, "Yes, what about Tuesday?"

Adrien was nervous, but he'd already decided that this was the course he was going to take. He clenched his fists and blurted, "Since I have tonight free, I thought maybe you would go see a movie with me."

Gabrielle paused his work for a moment and looked up at his son surprised. He hadn't been invited to do something with his son for months. "I—" he started, unsure of how to respond. "What movie did you have in mind?"

Adrien rubbed the back of his head shyly, "There's the new James Bond flick out…I thought it might be fun…"

Gabriel was flustered, he tried his best to keep his face impassive, but inwardly he was glad. It had been so long since his son had taken an interest in spending time with him…but he still had so much work to do. "I—of course I would like to go with you." Adrien sighed audibly as if he'd been holding his breath, but Gabriel continued, "You go on ahead, I'll be with you shortly. I just have to finish a few things and I'll meet you at the theater."

Adrien reluctantly nodded, he'd heard this reason before. Still, he wanted to believe that his father really meant it. That he would show up for once. Desperate, he left the room, praying he wasn't placing his faith in another lost opportunity.

—

Adrien sat in the nearly empty theater. The Bond movie had been out for a few weeks and he'd already seen it twice. He'd hoped that he could have enjoyed it with his father, but looking around, he was as alone as usual. He wondered if he should have invited Kong inside…at least then he would have had some company. He tried not to be disappointed, it wasn't like this was the first time his father had promised to show up to something and then backed out…somehow it hurt more. Adrien had wanted to think he father had changed. He wanted to believe that his father cared about him, not just " _Adrien - Gabriel Agreste's son_ " but " _Adrien - the person_ ". Inwardly he berated himself for being so easily deceived. _In the end, I should be happy that I can still be with Marinette_ …he thought, but somehow that wasn't enough. The idea that his father finally saw him as a person had seeded it's way into his mind and he didn't want to let the idea go.

A rustle could be heard from the aisle and he looked up to see Marinette walking down the row. "Why're you alone?" She asked.

He'd told her his plan to ask his father to the movie; having her realize his failure only made him feel more desolate. "I was stood up."

Marinette expression softened and she patted her boyfriend on the back. "I'm sure something came up…" she said, attempting to make a bad situation better.

He looked her square in the face, "Do you really believe that?"

His expression asked for her honesty and she felt she had to respond, "…no…probably not." She replied quietly.

Adrien placed his chin in his hands, "That's what I thought. I shouldn't have expected him to change. It was unfair to assume that because he changed a few rules that suddenly he'd be the father I want him to be."

"Adrien, I know he cares about you." Marinette responded, trying to be comforting.

"I appreciated the sentiment, but he cares about the idea of me…I shouldn't expect anything else." Adrien stood up from his seat and walked past Marinette out of the row.

"Adrien?" She called as she followed after him, "where are you going?"

He turned and smiled at her, "I'm going to spend time with my family; my _real_ family." He held his hand out to her and she took it. She followed him out of the empty theater and they walked slowly to the bakery. Outside the bakery he stopped; he knew she was curious. "Marinette, I love my father. For all his faults he's still my dad. But after spending time with you, with your family, I think I've realized that there is more to family than being blood. Family are the people that will be there for you when you need them, family wants to spend time with you and family wants to understand you for the person you are-not the person they want you to be. You, and your parents, you're my family." He squeezed her hands tightly, impressing the point on her.

"Are you saying you're leaving? Are you running away again?"

He shook his head, "No, I'm done with that. My father might not be perfect, but he is still my father. Someone has to take care of him…but in the end, I can't expect him to change into the person **I** want him to be. That's really no different than what he was trying to do to me. He'll always be absorbed in work and unable to take others into account, and trying to pretend that he's going change is unfair to him. On the other hand, I need people in my life that care about me as a person." He smiled at her. Brushing her lips lightly with his, "Let's go home. "

Marinette smiled sadly at him. She was happy that she could be there for him, but she was sad that things didn't turn out as he'd wished. All she could do was follow him inside and continue to support him as long as she could. From behind the counter, Sabine and Tom shouted happy greetings to the pair and the group retired to the living room. They put on an old movie and even though Adrien had seen it a dozen times already…somehow it seemed like he was seeing it for the first time.

—

Back at the Agreste house Gabriel heard the grandfather clock chime. It was 9:30. The sound jarred him out of his concentration and he silently cursed himself. The movie was over…and he was still working. Gritting his teeth against the sense of shame rising within him, he forced himself back into his work.

The End


End file.
